St. Mary Working Group seeking funds from American Recovery Plan

A group trying to rebuild the system that supplies much of the water to the Milk River each year talked Wednesday about how money from the latest COVID-19 relief bill might help.

A major topic at the meeting of the St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group was House Bill 632, the bill the Legislature passed to set up use of relief funds from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden in March.

The St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance Works, part of the irrigation Milk River Project and one of the first projects Bureau of Reclamation was authorized to build when it was created at the start of the last century, diverts water into the North Fork of the Milk River and supplies much — in drought years almost all — of the water flowing through the Milk River.

Irrigators pay most of the cost of operating and maintaining the system — at this point, about 75 percent of the cost — and it has been patched together for decades.

The working group was formed in 2003 after users of the Milk River warned that catastrophic failure was likely unless major repairs — much more than the irrigators could afford — were made.

That happened last spring when the last concrete drop structure on the 29-mile system of dams, dikes, canals, giant metal siphons and drop structures failed and had to be replaced.

The diversion was shut down over the summer until collaborative work got it re-opened in October.

But most of the rehabilitation, which includes providing features to help the bull trout, listed as a threatened species, remains to be done.

One of the parts of HB 632 was designating $400 million for water and wastewater projects, and the working group talked about how it could apply for some of that money for the St. Mary Diversion and Conveyance System rehabilitation.

But much of the discussion was in a wait-and-see mode — members said they still need more information from the state and from the federal government.

Montana State University Phillips County Extension Agent Marko Manoukian, who co-chairs the working group with Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, said his understanding is the group can apply for $25 million but a match is required.

And that was much of the discussion — how the funds could be matched, could multiple entities apply to use for the St. Mary rehabilitation, could multiple applications be made, for different projects within the rehabilitation, and exactly what the process would be. But many of the answers aren’t available yet.

The governor’s natural resource policy advisor, Michael Freeman, said the state government is holding a meeting today to make more decisions on how the process will work and will provide guidance to the local entities and organizations, the people “with their feet on the ground.”

Freeman said better guidance on the process will be available next week, after today’s meeting and procedures are set.

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Amanda Kaster said another problem is the state still doesn’t have guidance from the federal government on how the funds can be used.

Bear Paw Development Executive Director Paul Tuss said more information is crucial, especially on how matches can be applied.

He said the federal government is particularly “persnickety” about what can be used for matches and how it impacts use of other federal funds.

Tuss said if the working group and its partners have to match millions of dollars it will be a problem.

“We can celebrate, … but the reality is, where do we come up with the money?” he asked.

Manoukian said he is hopeful the group can access and use the funds.

“Stay tuned,” he said. “A couple of applications could get a large chunk of funds.”

The group discussed planning a meeting after an advisory commission is formed, scheduled to meet June 11, and before applications for the grants open July 15.

Several other topics were discussed at the meeting, including an ability-to-pay study being done by BOR that could reduce the amount the users of the system have to pay, and the possilbiltiy of looking for some funding from Canada for the use of diversion water in the North Fork of the Milk River.

The group also talked about the need to get the Fort Belknap Water Compact, which touches on the diversion, passed.

Manoukian thanked the work the Blackfeet Tribe — the diversion runs across the Blackfeet Indian Reservation — and the Fort Belknap Indian Community have done on the effort.

The Blackfeet also were praised for their assistance in getting the drop structure repaired last fall.

Several members praised the collaborative effort in repairing the drop structure.

Group member Wade Jones, president of the Milk River Joint Board of Control that oversees the irrigation district, said they were lucky how things turned out last year with everyone coming together to repair the system.

He added that that can be a testemant to the federal government.

“Give us the money, we’ll get it done.” Jones said.