Video released on need to rehabilitate the 'Life-Line of the Hi-Line'

The Milk River Watershed Alliance has released an educational video about the St. Mary Diversion Project, a more than 100-year-old system that supplied the majority of the water to the Milk River and the surrounding areas.

"Water is the lifeline," Milk River Watershed Alliance Coordinator Deborah Clayton said. "If we don't have water, how can anybody survive, let alone a community or an area."

The St. Mary Diversion was one of the first five projects the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation was authorized to construct when it was created in 1903. It is part of the Milk River Project, created by the federal government to supply water for irrigators in north-central Montana.

The St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance System includes 29 miles of dams, canals, drop systems and about 3,600 feet of 90-inch wide steel syphons, that convey the water into the North Fork of the Milk River, which then flows into Canada before returning into Montana.

The system provides water to irrigate about 110,000 acres of farmland in Montana and drinking water for a number of communities across southern Canada and Montana communities of the Hi-Line and southern parts of Canada. From the time it was completed as an irrigation project, St. Mary has been 75 percent funded by the irrigators and 25 percent funded by the federal government.

The facilities have been band-aided together for decades, with a group forming early last decade to push for federal action to rehabilitate the structures.

In 2003, the state formed the St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group to spearhead the federal government authorizing and funding rehabilitation of the project.

Milk River Watershed Alliance produced the video to tell people about the need for rehabilitation.

"The Milk River Watershed Alliance believes the most powerful way to present the urgency for the rehabilitation of the St. Mary Diversion System and the crucial role the Milk River plays along the Hi-Line, is through short film," a press release says. "By showing the location, extent of the project, beneficiaries, and consequences of failing to act, MRWA seeks to instill a sense of urgency to rally support to move this project forward so the Milk River can continue to provide its life sustaining force for communities within the confines of the Milk River Watershed."

The Milk River Watershed Alliance is a locally led organization working to preserve, protect and enhance the natural resources within the Milk River watershed, while maintaining the quality of life, a press release says. It encompasses Glacier, Hill, Blaine, Phillips and Valley counties.

Clayton said that the video is to educate people about the need to rebuild the infrastructure and how crucial St. Mary is to the well being of everyone on the Hi-Line.

The video, which was made in partnership with Banik Communications, was recently finished, first screening at Fort Peck in July, she said. 

"The goal would be to inform the public, inform the people, so they are aware of the need and concern and ultimately resolve that concern so we can avoid a catastrophe," she said.

She added that not many people understand the important role St. Mary plays on the Hi-Line and how impactful the Milk River is.

The video has a number of people speaking about the importance of the St. Mary, making the message clear that if the Milk went dry everyone and everything would be impacted in some way, she said.

Before the St. Mary Diversion was completed, the Milk River went dry during the fall of many years. The diversion supplies much of the water that flows through the river each year, almost all in severe drought years.

But, Clayton said, the system is close to faliure.

She said that just as the Milk River Watershed Alliance Chair Jeff Pattison said in the video, "It's not a matter of if but when."

The video also has a few Havre locals, Havre Public Works Director Dave Peterson and Havre Laundry owner Ron Brenna, talking about the importance of the Milk River.

"The Milk River is critical to us, it's our life, it's our livelihood," Brenna said in the video.

"Clearly, the consequences of failing to act in the rehabilitation of St. Mary's would be devastating," the release says. "The rehabilitation cost is estimated at $200 million. Currently, 75 percent of the rehabilitation cost will fall upon irrigators in the watershed; an unrealistic operations and maintenance cost that will be detrimental to Hi-Line communities. Beneficiaries of the Milk River include municipalities such as Havre, Chinook and Harlem, irrigators, recreationists, sportsmen, First Nations with Federal Reserved Water Rights and wildlife and wildlife interests."

Montana legislators have been fighting for years to have the project funded and completed.

This year, the lawmakers sponsored the St. Mary Reinvestment Act to flip the funding for the project. In the Senate, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., sponsored and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., co-sponsored the bill and Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., sponsored it in the House. The bill would flip the funding so the federal government provides 75 percent and the irrigators pay only 25 percent. 

Representatives of the offices of Tester, Daines and Gianforte said they were unaware of the video but were all in support of the Milk River Watershed Alliance and said they will continue to push for funding of the St. Mary Diversion.

Gianforte Communication Director Travis Hall said that the congressman appreciates the Milk River Watershed Alliance's efforts to bring attention to the needed upgrades of the Milk River Project.

"He'll continue working to move the St. Mary's Reinvestment Act forward so that critical improvements can be made without putting the burden on folks in north-central Montana," Hall said.

Daines Press Secretary Julia Doyle said that Daines were unaware of the video, but he and members of his staff watched the video after The Havre Daily brought it to their attention and thought is was great and informative. She added that Daines is in support of the Milk River Watershed Alliance's video.

"The senator is very supportive of the project," she said. "He remains engaged with stakeholders on a path forward."

Tester Press Secretary Sarah Feldman said Tester is continuing to work in Congress to advance the St. Mary's Reinvestment Act. 

"We've not yet seen the video, but Sen. Tester is continuing to work with his colleagues in Congress to advance his bill to help fund the critically needed infrastructure repairs and replacements across the Milk River Project," she said.

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People can find more information about the Milk River Watershed Alliance and watch the video at https://milkriverwatershedalliance.com .