![Acting Water Master for the Flathead Irrigation District Koshon Lacounte [far right] turns back as farmers ask questions during a meeting in Lonepine on April 29, 2026. (Hannah Shields/Daily Inter Lake)](https://hagadone.media.clients.ellingtoncms.com/img/photos/2026/05/21/FarmersMeeting2_t1170.JPG?5cc718665ab672dba93d511ab4c682bb370e5f86)
Acting Water Master for the Flathead Irrigation District Koshon Lacounte [far right] turns back as farmers ask questions during a meeting in Lonepine on April 29, 2026. (Hannah Shields/Daily Inter Lake)
April 29, 2026
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May 22, 2026 12:05 a.m.
Tribal project farmers in Hot Springs protest fee increase amid diminishing water supply
Farmers in the Hot Springs area of Sanders County are protesting their third fee increase from the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project in less than five years as they struggle to pull enough water for their crops.