BOR declares emergency funding for St. Mary Diversion repairs

With repairs ongoing on parts of the St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance Works that supplies much of the water in the Milk River, the water users found out they are getting a break on the repairs.

Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., announced Wednesday that U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees operation of the system, has determined the repairs qualify as emergency work, reducing the cost to the users.

Tester and Daines each had sent letters requesting the designation.

The system is part of the Milk River Project irrigation system and normally has 75 percent of the cost g...