The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Lt. Mike Cooney was traveling the Hi-Line as part of his duties as chair of the Montana Governor's Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee. In that capacity Cooney oversees statewide efforts to share data about water supply and moisture conditions with local officials charged with managing water resources. Lieutenant Governor Cooney had just attended a meeting in Havre of the St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group. The Working Group, with a variety of stakeholders that use water from the Milk River, provides input to the Governor's office on a strategy for rehabilitating the diversion system and seeks to identify potential funding sources for projects to improve the water system.

Cooney was hosted by Greg Jergeson who served with Cooney in the Montana House. They met with Mayor Keith Hanson, of Chinook, and Harlem Council member Kim Hansen. Hansen was a state senator when Cooney was President of the Montana Senate. Cooney also served three terms as Secretary of State and was appointed to the Lieutenant Governor's position in January, 2016.

The Lieutenant Governor talks about drought

Cooney said, "I'm guessing with the wet spring and summer you've had in north central Montana you are not thinking much about drought." He went on to say a good portion of Montana was having drought this year and added, "in Montana it's always a question of 'when' there will be drought, not 'if' there will be drought. The best time to plan for drought is when there is plenty of water and time to plan for options and priorities."

Asked how communities can go about planning to deal with drought, he told about a grant for "drought resiliency funding" that is being used in southwest Montana to bring water stakeholders together to discuss ways to deal with reduced water availability. He said, "This group is looking at current uses of water, by irrigators and municipalities, to see if they are using water in the most efficient manner when there is plenty to be had. They also are working to lay out priorities to allocate water when there are shortages." Cooney kept returning to the theme that the best time to plan for drought is when there is plenty of water and time is available to look at all the issues involved and, always, getting people talking about the challenges of drought conditions.

Tying back to the St. Mary's Working Group is said, "Water will increasingly become a resource of concern." Describing some of the challenges facing parts of the St. Mary's Diversion Dam and Canal infrastructure he said, "If the system goes down, we have no options." That dam and canal moves water that serves towns and irrigators all along this part of the Hi-Line.

Infrastructure challenges

Cooney said, "Statewide Montana has many parts of its infrastructure that needs attention, from roofs on state owned buildings needing replaced to highways and bridges that need attention." He likened statewide infrastructure needs to a personally owned vehicle. He said, "You know a vehicle will need maintenance and repairs. And at some point you will have to replace it. You can ignore the need to save and plan to care of your vehicle but at some point you will have a breakdown and the problem worsens. We've been trying to ignore many of our infrastructure challenges and we will begin to pay the price."

Cooney said, "The Governor is crafting a bill that would create an "infrastructure fund" that would be funded over time and could be used to address infrastructure needs." Asked about current challenges to the state's budget because of reduced income from oil and gas leases and coal severance taxes, Cooney said, "That will have some effect but Montana has a diversified economy. Properly funded we can continue to build the 'fund' for future needs." Cooney is hopeful that proposed fund will gain bipartisan support.

Kim Hansen, a Harlem city council member, said, "I'm very proud that both Chinook and Harlem are addressing their own local infrastructure problems." Chinook just completed a $6 million upgrade to its water treatment plant and work has started in Harlem on a $4 million wastewater treatment project. Chinook Mayor Hanson added, "Those are big projects for small communities but we know we have to get things fixed or the cost to solve the problem will be higher." Cooney said he was familiar with the projects and applauded the two communities for taking action.

Summing up Cooney held up his cell phone and said, "It's a real irony that most of us spend more on monthly cell phone service than we do on water and its infrastructure needs. We've come to take water, and its continued availability in large amounts, for granted. We expect our local governments to continue to provide services without reinvesting in infrastructure. I can't emphasize how important it is to make sure we are set for the challenges of the future, especially in drought conditions."

Cooney went for a tour of the Chinook water treatment plant and was headed to Harlem for a look at the wastewater project. He was scheduled later to attend a Blaine County Democratic Party dinner hosted at Fort Belknap.