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

Montana Senators John Tester and Steve Daines released press statements regarding the Bi-partisan Bill designed to provide as much as 100 Million Dollars to repair the Milk River Irrigation Project/St. Mary's Diversion Dam has made it out of the Senates Natural Resource Committee.

The G20 Group passed the bi-partisan legislation by a 13-7 vote. In his press release Senator Tester stated, ""Today is a historic step forward in making long-overdue and critically needed investments in the Milk River Project and provide water certainty for folks living and working on the Hi-Line," said Tester. "I've been working for months to get water infrastructure investments into the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework I negotiated with the president and my Republican and Democratic colleagues, and I'm glad my provisions were included in the package. Now it's time we get this over the finish line, and I'm going to keep pushing to make sure the entire Milk River Project is rehabilitated, so that Montanans on the Hi-Line have access to the water they need for years to come."

Senator Steve Daines is also a member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and was part of the majority to approve the proposal. "After years of work, I'm glad to finally see funding advanced for the St. Mary's Milk River water project. This funding will help repair critical water infrastructure for Montana's Hi-Line communities and will ensure farmers, landowners and Tribes have access to clean and reliable water."

While to prospect of making it out of committee is a huge boost to the morale of all who rely on the St. Mary Diversion Dam and the Milk River Irrigation Project, there is still a ways to go before funding becomes official.

Milk River Irrigation Project Joint Board of Control Manager, Jennifer Patrick states, "This new language that has passed out of the Natural Resource Committee would be added to the Infrastructure bill that the group of 20 Senators have been working on as a bipartisan effort to move infrastructure. Senator Tester sits on that G20 group and has made St Mary's a priority in the bill."

Patrick goes on to say, "This bill, as written would allow for up to $100 million, non reimbursable to the project for repairs on the St Mary system. IF the bill can pass the Senate and the House." Patrick goes on to say, "It was a huge step to make it out of committee, but we have a bit of a lift to get this through.

We are going to need Senator Tester and Daines for this effort."

Timing is of the essence and things are happening quickly, "They would also like to push the Infrastructure bill before the August recess, so a lot can change in a few weeks. We remain very optimistic about this, but we have a lot of work to do still," added Patrick.

Patrick says that a number of efforts to secure additional funding are in the works, "We applied for funding on the Diversion Dam, Fresno Safety of Dam project, St. Mary Siphon and Halls Coulee Siphon as those are our top priorities of what could fail or needs attention. The Diversion Dam needs to be our number one priority in what ever funding package may break loose because we do not want to end up in a lawsuit over the Bull Trout. A lawsuit could potentially stop all water transfers to the Milk River basin, and that would not be beneficial to anyone on the hi-line."

The significance to the Hi-line for these upgrades to be made are huge, "I have been asked what this means to the Milk River project if we could get multiple funding streams. It would allow us to fix the $200 million in aging infrastructure to the authorized flow rate of 850 cfs. Right now we are lucky to send 600 cfs down the canal and right under 500 into Fresno. That extra water that we have an authorized right to use would help tremendously in a drought year like this year. Instead it goes to Canada because our infrastructure cannot handle those flows and there is no benefit to the Milk River project," stated Patrick.

While things are certainly looking better now for improvements to become a reality, the effort still continues to ensure it actually happens.