Table Of Contents
333.7 MontanaStateLibrary DOCUMENTS COLLECTIOM
N7MDNRC
WINTER 2004
A Newsletter ofthe Department ofNatural Resources and Conservation * Director Bud Clinch
Winter 2004
NEVADA CREEK DAM REHABILITATION
Neu'spillwayforNevadaCreekDam
This article is adaptedjrum "NevadaCreek Darn Rehahdilaliun P/wsl' // Nearn\g, tor agricultural irrigation. The reservoir is also used tor
Con\pletioj\," byJimDomino, whichappearedin theWinter2004 issueojWater limitedwater-basedrecreation,primarilyfishing. Thedam
Lines,anewsteaerofDNRC's WaterResourcesDu'isioii- isclassified ashighhazard underthe Montana DamSafety
Actguidelines, which meansthatdamfailurecould result
Th
he final phase of the Nevada Creek Dam in loss oflife.
Rehabilitation Project is nearing completion. Constructed in 1938 by the State Water
Nevada Creek Dam is located in Powell County, Conservation Board, the dam is acompacted earth-filled
approximately9 milessoutheastofHclmvilleandadjacent structure with an upstream cutoff treiich located on
to Highway 141. The 88-foot-high dam is owned by the NevadaCreek, which isatributarytothe Blackfcx3tRiver.
state and managed by DNRC's State Water Projects The dam has a concrete spillway chute on the left
Bureau. The Nevada Creek Water Users Association abutment. The controlled k)w-level outlet consists ofa
operates thedam. The reservoir has astorage capacity of 60-inch reinforcedconcrete archconduitcontrolled by a
11 ,1 52 acre-feetat thespillwaycrestand isusedprimarily 54-inch butterfly valve. um
NevadaC^reuk'. . . coiiliimetlonpage2
y^4i
i'i\\i
"To help ensure Montana's land and water resources provide benefits for present and future generations"
)
)NRCunversation Winter 2004
I
NevadaCreek. . . ronlimu'Jfrom/hige I placing theexcavated materialfrom theprimaryspillway
into the original spillway so that it can be used as an
In a study conducted in 1981, the U.S. Army emergencyspillway. This material intheoriginalspillway
Corps of Engineers (COE) found that the dam has will act like a fuse plug. All hut one ofthe new spillway
inadequate spillway capacity, with the spillway showing floorslabshavebeenpoured, and thenewwallsarebeing
serious deterioration. In placed. The stilling basin
COE's 1981 inspection excavation iscompleted, and
report, the dam was classi- preparations are under way
'
fied as unsafe and in need for the installation ofriprap.
of repair. The onset of cold weather
In 1981, the upper necessitated the use of tents
two-thirdsofthespillwaywas andblanketsfortemperature
overlaid with 1.5 inches of control and protection from
concrete. Another modi- the weather.
,
fication took place in 1990, Completion of Phase II
when anchors were installed will bring the dam into full
in the overlay section of the compliance with all current
spillway to ensure that it safety standards.
would stay in place during John Sanders serves as
high flows. the project manager. John
Phase ofthecurrent Sanders and Jim Beck have
rehabilitation Ibegan in 2002 NevadaCreekDamspillway beensharingdutiesastheon-
DNRC
with the extension ofthe outlet conduit and placement site representatives.
of a new terminal outlet structure. This phase also The total cost ofthe project is about $3 million.
included a seepage collection system, dewatering wells, a The Nevada Creek Water Users Association will pay
toe berm, and material processing for the second phase. approximately $500,000. The remaining funds are
The second phase consists ofconstructing a new provided from various state sources including earnings
primary spillway, adding fill to the dam crest to bring it from the Broadwater Hydropower Project, the DNRC
up to design elevation, lowering partofthe dike section, WaterStorageAccount,andaRenewableResourceGrant
addingaflow restrictionwall in theoriginal spillway, and from the Coal Severance Tax Trust Fund.
STATE LAUNCHES INITIATIVE TO REHABILITATE
— —
THE MARY
ST. FACILITIES
Thisarticleumadaptedfromanarticleby thesametitle, b>PauJAzevedo, which a process through which representatives from the State
appearedintheWiiiier2004issue0/WaterLines,aiietislettero/DNRC'sWater ofMontana, federalgo\emment,Tribalgovernments,and
ResourcesDivision
MilkRiverbasinwateruserscanworkonacomprehensive
On Tuesday, November 18, approximately 230 strategytosecure theneededcongressionalauthorization
and fundinu to rehabilitate the St. Mary Facilities.
water users, public officials, and concerned citizens from
north central Montana attended a meeting in Havre Origin
convened by Lt. Governor Karl Ohs to discuss
rehabilitationofthe St. Mar>' Facilitiesofthe Milk River Secretaryofthe Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock
Project. Often called the "Lifeline ofthe Hi-Line," the authorized the Milk River Project on March 4, 1903, as
St. Mary Facilities control the trans-basin diversion of one of the first irrigation projects initiated by the new
water from the St. Mary River to the North Fork of the Reclamation Service (now the U.S. Bureau of
Milk River. The purposeofthe meeting was twofold: Reclamation) under the Reclamation Act of 1902. The
( 1
to raise public awareness about the urgent need to objective for the project was to provide a stable source of
rehabilitate theagingsystem,and (2) tobegintoestablish water for irrigation ot the lower Milk River valley. Early
Si.Mary Facilities. . conliiitiedonpage.?
U i4iU
DNRCunversaiiun Winter 2004
St.MaryFacitities, , . cuniimuilfnniiihiv.c2
point where the water is discharged into the North Fork
settlers had learned that natural flows in the Milk River ofthe Milk River.
did not provide a reliable water source for irrigation in On the average, 150,000 acre-feet of water per
the downstream end ofthe watershed. Consequently, a year are transferred over the Hudson Bay/Gult ofMexico
plan to divert water from the St. Mary River to augment divide to the North Fork of the Milk River. The water
flows in the Milk Riverwas akey componentofthe Milk thenflowsfor 216 miles throughAlberta, Canada, before
River Project. Settlers moved to the Milk River valley returning to Montana, where it is stored in Fresno
on the promise ofa stable supply ofwater for irrigation. Reservoir 14 miles west ofHavre. Releases from Fresno
Reservoir provide irrigation and municipal water along
Description of the System the Milk River to its mouth near Nashua, 200 miles to
the east.
Built, owned, andoperatedby theU.S. Bureau of
Reclamation (USBR), the St. Mary Facilities coiisist ofa
storagedam (Sherburne Dam), diversiondam, headgate,
29 miles of canal, two sets of steel siphons, and five
concrete drop structures. The system is located entirely
on the Blackfeet Reservation in Glacier County.
The facilities begin at Sherburne Reservoir on
the eastern edge ofGlacier National Park. Water stored
in Sherburne Reservoir is released to Swiftcurrent Creek
anddiverted toLowerSt. MaryLake via the Swiftcurrent
Dike. From Lower St. Mary Lake, water flows into the
St. Mary River and is diverted into the St. Mary Canal
via the St. Mary Diversion Dam located 0.75 mile
downstream. The canal follows the east side of the St.
Mary River and crosses the river 9.5 miles below the
diversion throughtwo90-inch, rivetedsteel-platesiphons
3,600 feet in length. LeakinStMarysip/ioitasiicrossesiheSt. MaryRiverin200i
Problems
The St. Mary Facilities have been in operation
for over 85 years with only minor repairs and
improvements since the original construction. Mt«t of
the structures have exceeded their design life and are in
need of major repairs or replacement. The capacity of
thesystemhasdroppedfromadesigncapacityof850cubic
feet persecond (cfs) to approximately 670 cfs. The steel
siphons have slope stability problems and leaks, and the
concrete in the drop structures is severely deteriorating.
Landslides along the canal and the condition of the
structures make the canal unreliable as a water source.
Failure ofone of the drop structures in 2002 resulted in
Outlcinamiaon the canal being turned offfor approximately two months
during the irrigation season.
The economy of the Hi-Line region has been
Eightmilesbelow theSt. Marycrossing,asecond
built around the stable water supply provided by the St.
set of riveted steel-plate siphons, 78 inches in diameter
Mary Facilities. Without the needed rehabilitation, the
and 1,405 feet long, conveys the water across Hall's
A aging system might soon suffer catastrophic failure. Loss
Coulee. series offive concrete drops at the lower end
oftheSt. Mary Facilitieswouldhaveadisastrouseconomic
ofthe 29-mile canal provide a total fall of214 ^cct to the
St.Mary Facilities. . . continuedonpage4
DNRConversatiun Winter 2004
Si.MaryFacilities. . . cimlinufJfrompa^c3
impacton the Milk Riverbasinand thestateofMontana design capacity of 850 cfs. USBR says that it does not
in general. ha\'e the money. Accordingtoreclamationlaw, aportion
i
ofthe cost must be borne by the authorized beneficiaries
Importance to the Milk River Basin of the water. In the case of the St. Mary Facilities, the
cost would be borne primarily by the Milk River Project
The St. Mar>- Facilities are the keystone to large- irrigators and to a lesser extent by the municipalities of
scaleirrigatedagriculture intheMilkRiverbasin. Thesystem Havre, Chinook, and Harlem.
provides water to irrigate over 110,000 acres on Before any work could begin, a feasibility study
approximately660farmswithinUSBR'sMilkRiverProject. on the project would ha\e to be prepared. TTie feasibil-
Together, thesefarmsproduce approximately8.3 percentof itystudy must includeafinalengineeringreport,National
allcattleandcalves, 7.8 percentofall irrigatedhay, and 8.2 Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance
percent ofall irrigated alfalfa produced in Montana. documentation, and a cultural resources survey.
Although the St. Mary Facilities were originally
built to provide irrigation water, the beneficiaries extend
farbeyond irrigatedagriculture. The MilkRiverprovides rifljfc1 MilkH:vcrfiD»ir,theVicintryo*
HavrefromMayttirougtiSeptember
municipal water to approximately 14,000 people in the
communities of Havre, Chinook, and Harlem. In
addition, tworuralwatersystemsaresuppliedfrom Fresno i u
Reservoir. Beneficiariesalso includefisheries, recreation,
tourism, water quality, and wildlife.
During irrigation season (May through
September) in a year of normal flow, approximately 70 DryYaars 4\<erageYean:
percentofthe Milk RiverflownearHavreoriginatesfrom CTys!Fr.v* BRs*OnjiiiSlinjnSI Mir,'65r.
the St. Mary River basin (Figure 1). In dry years, the
importedwatermay makeup90percentofthe MilkRiver S».)urcc:U.S-Burtr.iuotRccl.imatuui
flow past Havre. During the drought ot 2001, 95 percent
of the available water in the Milk River at Havre Other Considerations
originated in the St. Mary River basin!
In addition to the huge monetary cost,
rehabilitating the St. Mary Facilities would involve
Costs, Other Requirements complexpolitical and legalconsiderations. USBRstudies
indicate that the St. Mar\' diversion facilities are having
As authorized in 1903, the Milk River Project
a negative impact on bull trout (Sa/ie/mus confluemns),
was a single-use irrigation project. At the time, irrigated
which are listed as a threatened species. Rehabilitation
agriculture was seen as the primary beneficiary ofproject
of the system would involve two federal Indian reserved
construction. As a result, over the last 85 years, 100 water rights compacts. The Fort Belknap Water Rights
percent of the cost to operate and maintain project
Compact is predicated on the continued viability ofthe
infrastructure, including the St. Mary Facilities, has been St. MaryFacilities todeliverwatertothe MilkRiverbasin.
borne by irrigators within the project through an annual The compact is a delicate negotiated balance of water
assessment on their irrigated lands. However, according
rights, including theGrosVentreandAssiniboineTribes'
toUSBR, ongoingcosts ofmaintaining the agingsystem,
righttoessentiallyallofthenaturalflowot the MilkRiver,
including the St. Mary Facilities, exceed the irrigators' subject to the claims ot the Blackfeet Nation. The St.
operation and maintenance payments. As a result, the Mary Facilities are located on the Blackteet Indian
St. Mary Facilities have deteriorated to the point that Reservation. The state and the Blackfeet Tribe are in
replacement and major rehabilitation are necessary Since
negotiations for a water rights compact that will include
1999, theStateofMontana has awarded over$400,000 in claims for water trom the St. Mary and Milk rivers. The
grants, and the eight irrigation districts within the Milk
Blackfeet Tribe must be consulted on any rehabilitation
Ri\erProjecthavecontributed$200,000torcrucial repairs, ot the Sr. Mary Facilities. Also, Canadian and U.S.
merely to keep the system operating in some capacity.
ditterences must be workedoutover interpretationot the
According to an appraisal level study completed 1921 International Joint Commission Order on
by USBR in 2003, it will cost approximately $90 million apportioning flows ofthe St. Mary and Milk rivers.
to rehabilitate the St. Mary Facilities back to theoriginal
St. Mar) Facilities!. . . (cmlmiwtlonpage5
JJlL.
UNRConversaium Winter 2004
St.Marj Facilities. . . coniinuedfmmpage4
The Approach DNRC will also establish an Inter-Agency
At the November 18 meeting in Havre, Rehabilitation Team to coordinate the efforts of the
representatives from DNRC unveiled a draft action plan variousstateagencies thatwill be involved inthe project.
DNRC
forpursuingrehabilitationoftheSt. Mary Facilities. The In addition, is working with project
state's approach is based on the belief that a partnership stakeholders to seek legislation to secure congressional
betweenbasinwaterusers (irrigation, municipal, business, authorization and funding to prepare a feasibility study
recreation, fisheries, etc.), state government. Tribal onrehabilitationofthesystem. Oncethefeasibilitystudy
government, and the federal government is the most is complete, legislation will be drafted to secure
promising course ofaction for pursuing rehabilitation of congressional authorization and funding to design and
construct the preferred alternative for rehabilitating
the system.
The state's proposed approach includes forming the system and address environmental requirements
a St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group charged with and mitigation.
developingaworkablesolutionforrehabilitatingtheaging In the effort to build a broad collaboration, Paul
system as soon as possible. The working group will be Azevedowith DNRC'sWaterResourcesDivisionhasbeen
chaired by Lt. Governor Ohs and will be composed of named state coordinator for the rehabilitation ofthe St.
local water users, concerned citizens, and state, Tribal, Mary Facilities. Foradditional information, contact Paul
andfederal officials with an interest in rehabilitating the at the DNRC WMatTer Management Bureau, P.O. Box
201601, Helena, 59620-1601, phone 406-444-6635,
system. Staffing and technical support will be provided
by DNRC. or e-mail [email protected].
'''^-
.i^ite^L^'^'
Si.Marytoiistruclion
UN
RCunversation Winter 2004
DNRC AND AN AMAZING NEW TECHNOLOGY
HEATING SCHOOLS
There's a new type ofenergy system and fuel for other by-products generally associated with wood heat.
heating schools. It's clean and inexpensive, has a The only visible product exiting the "smoke stack"
seemingly endless supply offuel, and is easy to maintain. is water vapor.
It can be built into a new building, or existing buildings Anotherpiece to thisstory istheabundantsupply
can be retrofitted. And all this for only $250,000 to of forest fuels available in the urban interface and adja-
$750,000. cent area.
What isthisamazingnewsystemandfuelsource? The final ingredient in this mix is the need to
Why, it's a wood-burning stove fueled by forest address foresthealth issues and/or reduce hazardousfuels.
biomass, including loggingslashand forestfuels that pose Roll this all up, and you have a program called Fuels for
wildfirehazards, andthe DepartmentofNaturalResources Schools, administered jointly by DNRC, the U.S. Forest
and Conservation (DNRC) and a Montana senator are Service (USFS), and Montana's Resource Conservation
key players in the program. and Development (RC&D) areas.
Scattered across Montana are numerous older Last summer USFS and the Bitterroot RC&.D
schools with old heating systems that are expensive—to came to DNRC Forestry Division staffwith an invitation
operate and maintain. Mostare collec—tionsofsystems to become a partner with them in the Fuels for Schools
part gas; part electric, steam, or oil that have been Program. They already had a demonstration project
added as the school grew and the least expensive system finalized, which began heating schools in Darby in
of the day was installed. Add to that the continual December 2003. They also had economic analyses
increase in the price ofthe fuels (especially the onetime completedonschools inSeeley Lake, Victor, Philipsburg,
wonder, natural gas). Schools can pay $60,000 or more Eureka,ThompsonFalls,Superior, Poison,Libby,andTroy.
peryeartomaintainandoperate With the help of Congress
these systems, straining lean and the efforts of Senator
operating budgets. ConradBums, initialprogram
However, a 100,000- financingwassecured through
square-foot school can be a variety of federally funded
heatedwithabout20to25 loads biomass energy and forest
ofwood chips per year, costing wildfire fuel reduction
only about $17,000 per year. programs.
Although purchasing The wood gasifi-
these newsystems is expensive, cation burner and boiler
many schools, with the help of installed to heat the three
some grant dollars, will be able schools in Darby is shown in
to make their payments, pay the phi>tii. The burner is the
their heating costs, and have a black section on the bottom,
bit left over. and the boiler is the blue
Also, gasification section on top. The wood
biomass heating has been heats thewater, and thesteam
successfully used in New generated is pumped to the
England and Canada for the schools to provide the heat.
past 20 years, and the This program is a
technology of "wood-burning great op—portunity for
DNRC
stoves" has advanced fuel hazard
dramatically over this time. reduction, economic support
Moi.lern gasification liLirncrs for schools, and warm
DNRC
burn woodatover 1,800degrees studentsand teachers.
Fahrenheit and produce very service foresters will help
little of the particulate and Woodgasificauunhumamulb: mstalicdmDarb)r schools understand the
i
NewTfchn<il(>g> . . . ionlinucdi>njhij^c 7
mLAij^_
DNRCunvcrsaium Winter 2004
New Technology. . . coiuiniudInmiiniiti'(>
program, assist with feasibility studies on good candidate
schools, and then provide construction assistance grant
dollars (through a RC&D, preferably). We will also be
there forgeneralsupportas theschools work throughthe
full process.
The U.S. Forest Service will continue towork to
secure future funding from whatever federal, state, or
private sources might be available. The RC&Ds enter
into and administer thegrant contracts with the selected
schools. The schools contractfordeliveryofwoodchips.
The students learn about biomass heat in their science
classes, do the measurements for wood moisture content,
and provide explanations of the process to groups that
tour the facility.
It is our expectation that, within five years,
numerous schools will be heated with these systems.
That'sgoodfor theirbudgets and creates a marketforby- ForestryDiwsi07iAiimiiiisiraiorBobHarrijigion(secondfromkjt)
productsoffuelreductionprojectsonadjacentforestlands. mt)iededicationctTL'trioii)fortheDarbysyscan
What a win/win situation for Montana!
REGIONAL WATER SYSTEMS GO FORWARD
Upon their completion, four ventures now have been installed. "Completion of the required
underway in Montana will have constructed and put in horizontal boring under the outlet ofthe Medicine Lake
placeenoughwater-mainpipestosupplymorethan 70,000 National Wildlife Refuge will likely take place in the
Montanans with clean, safe drinking water, something autumn of 2004," said Regional Water Systems
that is not now a reality in dozens ofcommunities. Coordinator Rick Duncan ofDNRC's Conservation and
Thatistheequivalentofmorethan 20,000gallons Resource Development Division. "No construction
ofwater per minute, all day, every day. activity isallowedfromMaythroughJunedue towaterfowl
Several recentadvanceshaveoccurredonallfour nesting patterns and other wildlife concerns, and the
ofthe systems. Following are the highlights. ground will still be too wet in July and August."
The Fort Peck Tribes and Dry Prairie Regioiial
Water Authority (DPRWA) together received an
Fort Peck (Dry Prairie) Regional Water System
additional $300,000 infederal Fiscal Year(FY) 2003 year-
Ground was broken in Culbertson on August 28 endfunding, whichwas 10percentofthe total $3 million
to begin construction on the first leg ofa two-part (on- underfunded inApril by theU.S. BureauofReclamation.
reservation and off-reservation) system in Daniels, Thepartialfundingrestorationwasmadepossible through
Roosevelt, Sheridan, and Valley Counties. The theeffortsofMontana'sCongressionaldelegation, mainly
construction consists of connecting to the existing Senator Conrad Burns. The total estimated cost ofthe
Culbertson water treatment facility and laying 23 miles project is $220 million, as adjusted for inflation.
ofpipefromthe treatmentfacilitynorthwardtoward Froid The funding package currently available from
and then to Medicine Lake. combined federal, state, and local funds totals
Duringthisphase, thepipelinewillbeconstructed approximately$4.6milliontocovertheconstructioncosts
from spring through early fall of2004. The contract has of this 23-mile portion of the Dry Prairie Project. A
been awarded to Carstensen Construction of Pipestone, House-Senate conference committee recently approved
Minnesota, which began laying pipe from the treatment a$7.5 million appropriation forthe Fort Peck Dry Prairie
facility atCulbertson northward the week ofOctober 15, system for FY 2004. Of that amount, approximately
2003. Currently 5 miles of 10-inch and 14-inch pipeline Kc');i(>iKil WnttT. . . nmliniicdI'llptii-cH
UN
RConvenaiiun Winter 2004
RegionalWater. contimiedfrompage7
. .
$2 millionwill be allocated to DPRWA forcompletionof Approximately450milesoftransmissionpipeline
the Culbertson-Medicine Lake segment. will connect to existing water supply mains and
The Fort Peck Tribes are proceeding with plans distribution linesforcommunitiesandruralwaterdistricts
for construction ofthe water intake and water treatment throughout the area. The intake and water treatment
plantonand nearthe Missouri Riverbetween WolfPoint facility are planned for a location at or near Tiber Dam
and Poplar. The process of advertising for bids for on Lake Elwell in southwestern Liberty County. From
construction of the water intake facility was completed the plant, a core transmission line will deliver water
during the autumnof2003. Thatcontract, in theamount directly tothe Rocky Boy's IndianReservation, with non-
of$3.5 million,hasbeenawarded toGoProConstruction core transmission lines branching offthe core main line
ofBillings. to all other areas to be served.
Due tothefact thattheTribesareallowedtocarr^' The initial draft of the final engineering report
HKM
overunexpendedfederalprojectfundsfromonefiscalyear (FER) was completed by Engineering, the project
to the next, the $4.6 million tribal share of FY 2004 engineering firm, on September 25. The draft FER was
appropriations will be added to $4.3 million carried over distributed to the coordinating committee for the North
from FY 2003. These federal funds will be used for Central Montana Water Authority, tribal officials, and
constructionofthewaterintakefacility;designofthewater state and federal agencies directly involved with the
treatment plant, including site work at the plant location project, including the Department of Environmental
near the intersection of U.S. Highway 2 and Montana Quality, Department of Natural Resources and
Highway 13; and design of the main water pipeline for Conservation, and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
the segment from Poplar to Big Muddy Creek. The Big According to Duncan, these entities have reviewed the
HKM
Muddy Creek's confluence with the Missouri River is the document andprovidedcomments. Engineering is
southeastern boundary ofthe Fort Peck Reservation. now reviewing thosecomments anddiscussionsas partof
In addition, some of the Tribes' FY 2004 efforts to complete the FER.
appropriated funds have been designated for design and "The FER will contain the general system
construction ofa project administration facility. technical overview along with design specifications on
such items as water demands, water main networking,
Rocky Boy's/North Central Montana pump locations, pipe size, intake and water treatment
Regional Water System technology specifications, etc. It's a blueprint for the
system in both text and visual plan sheets," Duncan
Upon completion, this regional drinking water explained. "The reason so much attention is paid to this
system will ensure that more than 18,000 residents of document is that it will become the basic plan for the
northcentral Montana, including residents ofthe Rocky whole system, and a guide for all further design, review,
Boy's Indian Reservatic^n, will have daily access to over and construction activities through completion of all
18 million gallons of high quality drinking water. The component phases."
water will be provided to communities, rural water The Rocky Boy's/NorthCentralSystemhasbeen
districts, Hutteritecolonies, andotherrural usersofToole, approved by Congress for funding in FY 2004, and the
Liberty, eastern Glacier, eastern Pondera, Hill, northern bill was signed by President Bush in December. A total
Chouteau, and northeastern Teton Counties.
of $822,000 will be made available through the U.S.
The City ofCut Bank recently became an active BureauofReclamation'sbudgetedfundsandwillcombine
partner in the North Central Montana Regional Water with the non-federal match (state and local) for the
Authority (NCMRWA). Atits 2003 annual meeting, the current year's funding for the system. These funds will
authorityvotedtomakeCut Bank a memberentity. "This pay for completion of the FER and the environmental
isgreat newsforCut Bank and the authority, as they now assessment (EA), as well as for design of the intake and
have another community integrally involved. Regional pilot testing of the water treatment technology. The
water supply systems are based on an economy ofscale. ChippewaCreeTribeandNCMRWAwill lobbyCongress
The more smaller member systems that become
each year for funds for the coming year's construction
involved, the more cost-efficient the larger system can schedule; the total funding requested for FY 2005 will
be," Duncan explained.
exceed $15 million.
RegionalWater coniinuedonpage9
. . .
DNRComvrsMuni Winter 2004
RegionalWater. ciniliiu<i\lfmiu(niiicS
. .
Inadditiontothe FER, awaterconservationplan Thesedocuments (FER, waterconservation plan,
hasbeencompleted. Thisplanoutlines theconservation andenvironmentalreports) willbefinalizedandsubmitted
measures recommended under U.S. Environmental togetherto theU.S. BureauofReclamation, which, when
Protection Agency guidelines and approved by the Tribe satisfied with the form and content, will forward the
and the authority. The measures will include a leak submittaltothefederalOfficeofManagementandBudget.
detectionprogram, watermetering, and public education "The project sponsors' timetable calls for that entire
programs. The plan is required by the U.S. Bureau of process to be completed and reviewed by early in 2005,"
Reclamation and must be completed in order for the Duncan stated.
project to receive federal funding. Anew website is up and runningfor the regional
HKM HDR
Engineering and Engineering are watersystem. Designedbyaprofessionalwebsitedesigner,
jointlydrafting reports thatare beingcompiled toaddress the address is www.northccntralmontanawarcr.org.
environmental concerns. The analyses are being Project documents and files will be available on an
completed in order to comply with the requirements of ongoing basis, with periodic updates as more documents
theNational Environmental PolicyActandtheMontana arefinalizedandbecomegenerallyavailable to thepublic.
Environmental Policy Act.
REGIONAL WATER SYSTEMS
RockyBoy's/NorthCentralMontanaRegionalWaterSystem
FortPeck(DryPrairie)RegionalWaterSystem
Dry-RedwaterRegionalWaterSystem
MusselshellRegionalWaterSystem
RegionalVValer cotiiimtedonpage 10
. . .
DhlRCuiwenatiun Winter 2004
Regional\\aler. . . roiiliiiiieilfrompage9
Dry-Redwater Regional Water System engineeringstudies, as well as theformation ofa regional
waterauthority,areplanned ifsufficientfunds remainafter
Currently,afeasibilitystudytoinvestigatespecific test well construction and the feasibility study are
completed.
aspectsofa regionalwatersystem toprovide waterservice
to approximately 5,000 residents of McCone, Dawson, Drillingofthe test well began inearlyAuguston
Garfield, andRichlandCounties is intheplanningstages. a portion of state school trust land near Utica. The
The 2003 Montana Legislature authorized a $30,000 contractor, Agri-Industries, Inc., is from North Dakota.
A
Treasure State Endowment Program Grant to fund the Wellconstructionhasconsistedofseveralphases. larger
study. McCone Conservation District (CD) has been diameter borehole wasdrilled, cemented, and encased to
designated as the sponsoring agency for this study. DNRC 840 feet, with a deeper, smaller diameter borehole being
hascontractedwith theCDforadministrationofthegrant. drilled below the 840-foot le\'el. The depth of the test
"The study will take into consideration the well was originally estimated to he approximately 2,300
needs of areas within all four counties as well as feet. Currently, theboreholehasreachedadepthof2,700
alternativesforsource ofsupply, pipeline routing, etc.," feet, withoutencountering the limestone ofthe Madison
Duncan explained. "The reasons for looking into a Formation. Additional study ofthe situation, including
regional system as asource ofsupply are the consistent negotiations with the well driller, is presently under way
lack of quality water in the area and the long-term tocontinueefforts to reachwater. Thedrillingresultsare
effects ofthe drought conditions prevalent throughout expected to provide solid information about the quantity'
the entire state over the last five years." and quality of the water available in the area. The
According to Duncan, a steering committee was Madison Formation is a geologically ancient limestone
formed at a September 19 meeting in Circle. "The aquiferofvast extent. Informationavailable through the
committee is made upofcitizensand representativesfrom U.S. Geological Survey indicates that there are several
variousgovernmentalentities, includingnatural resource regions of Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota that
agencies. These will be the people responsible for utilize the Madison Formationasaprimary'sourceofwater.
furthering the investigations and determining whether Estimates var^- about how much water will be
such a system is practical in this area." While McCone required tosupply thenewsystem, butonefiguresuggests
CD is administering the grant, the steering committee 1 to 2 cubic feet per second for domestic and related
will beoverseeing the entire processand future planning. purposes.
The steering committee continues to meet on a regular "LiketheotherareasinMontanaworkingtowards
basis to discuss a needs survey, as well as aspects of the establishing a regional water supply system, residents in
proposed feasibility study. Also, currently under this partofthe state are lookingfora reliable, safe source
development are plans for community meetings, an ofdrinking water," Duncan said. "It'll take work, but, if
informational flyerforpublic distribution, and aseries of this pans out, it'll be well worth it."
press releases.
Musselshell Regional Water System Conclusion
Communities along the Musselshell River "These systems are going to provide an
drainage have long had difficulty in obtaining reliable
quality water sources. As the drought over the last five improved quality oflife for Montanans on
years complicated the water concerns. Central Montana
RC&.D, Musselshell County, andother interested parties many different levels and in a variety of
in the region began work on developing a regional water
system. Portions of Judith Basin, Wheatland, Fergus,
Golden Valley, and Musselshell Counties could be ways," according to Duncan. "We're all
included in this proposed system.
As the primary sponsor, Musselshell County was working together for a brighter tomorrow
granted $375,000 from the State Coal Board for the
purposes of drilling an exploratory test well and and a better Montana."
completing a feasibility study for the system. Further
