A significant infrastructure component used to redirect water from the St. Mary River to the North Fork of the Milk River has experienced a “catastrophic failure,” as reported by Milk River Project personnel.
The failure specifically pertains to the St. Mary River Siphon, which comprises two 90-inch riveted steel barrels spanning a 3,200-foot segment in the St. Mary Valley, designed to divert water to the North Fork of the Milk River.
In a Facebook post, the Milk River Joint Board of Control stated that the failure took place around 9 a.m. on Monday while U.S. Bureau of Reclamation staff were monitoring a crack in the siphon.
“Fortunately, there were no injuries, but the damage is extensive,” the post mentioned. “The canal had been closed prior to the failure, but various establishments including Hillside, Hook’s Hide-Away bar, hotel, and roping arena have been severely affected by the water.”
A phone call to Hook’s Hideaway on Monday went unanswered.
The Bureau of Reclamation, in a press release, stated that around 600 cubic feet of water per second were flowing through the canal at the time of the siphon collapse.
The original barrel of the siphon, built in 1915, has posed challenges over the years due to buckling, seepage, and corrosion issues, as per the Milk River Joint Board of Control.
“Water diversions have been halted, but flows are expected to continue for up to 24 to 36 hours while the canal drains,” the bureau mentioned in the press release, adding that various agencies including the Blackfeet Tribe, Glacier County Sheriff’s Department, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Department, National Park Service, and Glacier Electric are responding to the incident.
Aside from causing localized property damage, the flooding could pose public safety hazards. A post on the Blackfeet Nation/Blackfeet Tribal Business Council’s Facebook page recommends residents to steer clear of the area and avoid all river-related activities for at least a week.
The BOR mentioned that they are exploring short-term solutions to address the flooding aftermath and will carry out detailed evaluations of the siphon and reconstruction prospects once deemed safe to do so.
When contacted, Milk River Project Manager Jennifer Patrick did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the implications of the failure on water consumers reliant on the canal for drinking water and irrigation.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was crafted to mitigate incidents like this by allocating $8.3 billion to the Bureau of Reclamation to renovate aging water delivery systems, secure dams, finish rural water projects, and conserve aquatic ecosystems,” mentioned the agency in the release.
On X, the platform previously known as Twitter, both Gov. Greg Gianforte and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester expressed their vigilance towards the situation.
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“The state is collaborating with local and federal authorities to assess the extent of damage caused in the vicinity and to water consumers,” Gianforte mentioned.
Tester mentioned that he has urged federal officials to give immediate attention to the situation.
“As we evaluate the full extent of the damage, I will maintain communication with local leaders and advise individuals to keep away from the affected area,” Tester indicated.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allotted $100 million for the Milk River Project. In an August 2021 article, Patrick stated that a significant part of that allocation would likely be directed toward the rehabilitation of the St. Mary’s Diversion Dam, which directs water from lower St. Mary Lake into the St. Mary Canal. A construction company based in Bozeman recently secured an $88 million contract to repair sections of the dam and canal, with construction slated to commence next month and an expected completion by 2027.
In 2020, a concrete structure along the 29-mile St. Mary Canal collapsed, leading to a water shortage for some irrigators along the Hi-Line for several months.
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