We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group
A big thank you to Representative Zinke, Senators Tester, and Senator Daines for making sure St. Mary/Milk River funding was in the Continuing Resolution at the end of 2024 congressional session. The $46.5 million will be awarded through the Bureau of Reclamation budget under Aging Infrastructure for St. Mary & Halls Coulee Siphon repairs.
At the December 18 St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group meeting in Havre, a good crowd of 30 people from irrigators, municipalities, congressional staff, State Legislators and state and federal staff were in attendance. All of the money needed to repair the $70 million St. Mary and Halls Coulee siphon is in place. Construction on the siphon has resulted in most of the west side of the St. Mary siphon, about 1,040 feet of the two barrel pipe has been installed and one third of that distance has been backfilled to grade. Welding crews will move to the east side of the St. Mary siphon in January 2025. The bridge that will hold the siphon should be completed in May 2025.
With all of the money in place for the siphon, the Working Group can focus on the canal shape and the Ft. Belknap Compact. All of the major assets (siphons and drops) are capable of flowing the 850 cfs capacity except the canal. The 850 cfs is the legal right of the US share of water from the St. Mary River in the agreement with Canada. It will take $250 million to rehabilitate the canal at today's prices. The current capacity of the canal is only 600 cfs and has degraded 100 cfs in the last 20 years.
Funding could come from the passing of the Fort Belknap Water Compact in the next Congressional session, as it has $275 million for repairs to the St. Mary Canal and Milk River project for the mitigation. During the meeting it was also pointed out that the State of Montana has a budget surplus of $1,000,000,000 dollars. It was stressed that the State Legislature should fund a grant for $100 million for canal construction in the 2025 legislative session.
The City of Havre spoke at the meeting and described with the low level of Fresno Reservoir (15,000 acre feet), they are experience difficulty in meeting water quality standards. Additionally, the chemical used to meet this standard are being more utilized than any time before. The cost of chemical treatment is also expensive. The city did express a concern for not only water quality but also water quantity if the open winter remains until spring. Other communities of Chinook, Harlem and Fort Belknap Agency are also completely reliant on the Milk River for their municipal water. Without adequate snow pack in the Milk River basin, the flow of the Milk could be minimal come spring runoff time.
Already, irrigators have lost $7.8 million in crop production due to the lack of water for a second irrigation in 2024. If the system is not operating by August of 2025 (which is the BOR's estimate), irrigators will lose another $36.79 million in crop production losses.
The BOR could apply the $46.5 million CR funding to the siphon construction and the Milk River Joint Board could apply to the state to move the $26 million interest only funding from the siphon to canal repair. A grant from the state in the 2025 legislature of $100 million would take a big step in addressing the canal shape and improve water supply. Since the siphon catastrophe of June 17, 2024, the BOR has had to dump 95,400 acre feet to Canada because they could not transfer the water to Fresno.
Irrigators, municipalities and businesses who are along the Hi-Line should be watching the 2025 Montana legislature closely. Taking time to attend a hearing about funding if a bill is drafted could be more important now than ever before.
