St. Mary Rehabilition ARPA fund applications denied

The St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group’s Sept. 21 meeting was canceled in the wake of the news that all four applications for American Rescue Plan Act funds were unsuccessful, at least for now.

Milk River Joint Board of Control Program Manager Jen Patrick said this is a disappointing development, but not an overly surprising one.

Patrick said ARPA guidelines said dams and reservoir projects are not being funded at this time, so the applications were a long shot.

“It’s not a shock,” she said.

Despite this set back, she said, all hope is not lost on the ARPA front as rules could change when the second round of funding comes.

She said the project also has other possible sources of revenue including the infrastructure bill recently passed by the U.S. Senate which includes $100 million, which would likely be used for the diversion’s dam, as well as the St. Mary Reinvestment Act which would invest an additional $52 million.

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 last summer until collaborative work got it re-opened in October.

Members warn if the system requires updates and repairs or such failures will happen again.