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By Josh Margolis
HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – The St. Mary’s Rehabilitation Working Group convened at Havre City Hall on Wednesday morning and discussed a large variety of topics.
The group voted to create a subcommittee to study a proposal to hire an Executive Director for the Working Group.
The Committee will consist of Greg Jergeson of Chinook, Autumn Coleman of the DNRC, and Wade Jones and Jennifer Patrick of the Milk River Joint Board of Control.
The group says they need a person to collect and summarize information to deliver to the numerous stakeholders and officials involved and educate constituents on their work, as all of them have other obligations other than their volunteer roles on the board.
“(The subcommittee) would develop a job description,” said Lieutenant Governor Kristen Juras, Working Group Co-Chair. “Exactly what would they be doing. And based on a review of our budget, what could we afford to pay, whether it be a part time or full-time contracted position and employee. But I think it’s essential now to have somebody who is paid and will basically spearhead keeping this moving forward, communications, watchdogging.”
Milk River Joint Board of Control President Wade Jones and others said they want to ensure that this job would not overlap with a similar position being sought for the Milk River Watershed Alliance, adding that the two people could work together to accomplish their common goal of ensuring a flourishing Milk River valley.
“(In the past) we’ve had too many people going too many different ways to Congressional people. Y’know, our $100 million … came from a lot of work from Jennifer (Patrick), and different people through Henry (Ring, Legislative Assistant for Senator Jon Tester). That’s how we got our $100 million. But it was always the one voice speaking to where the money was at the time. So that’s what I want to caution here a little. We want to have a voice from everybody, but we don’t want to have two or three agencies bringing a voice. It’s all about our irrigation and our tribal and the stuff to go along with it. What I really worry is that we’re going to get too many voices again and we’re going to have a breakdown … I’m all for an administrator, but I think it’s gotta be for an overall group, maybe so to speak,” said Jones.
“This is, I think, part of figuring out what the job description is,” replied Juras. “That it would include close collaboration with the Executive Director of the (Milk River Watershed) Alliance, with the Joint Board, so that they are working together to not duplicate, and to collaborate. So I don’t think they are mutually exclusive, but it won’t work unless they are working together.”
Chris Gomer of the Bureau of Reclamation said the Ability to Pay Study on the Milk River Basin is still wrapping up, as internal reviews are ongoing. There is no firm date of expected completion, but it will be provided to the working group once it is done.
“Those review comments will really drive the schedule moving forward. I’m sorry I don’t have a good current schedule for when we’re anticipating to release the Ability to Pay. We’re hopeful to get through the internal review either this week or next,” said Gomer.
The Study remains tied to the St. Mary’s Reinvestment Act, and representatives for Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester said they are urging for a hearing to be held on the legislation, but it remains stalled at the moment. A representative for Congressman Matt Rosendale said that if it clears the Senate, they would work to get a hearing in the House, but it would be difficult since Rosendale is in the minority party.
The Bureau of Reclamation has received the first $2.5 million of up to $100 million allocated from the bipartisan infrastructure bill for work rehabilitating the system. The funds are being used to cover finalizing the design and geotechnical investigation for the Diversion Dam rehabilitation, as well as an environmental assessment (NEPA). They will be requesting more than $80 million of the funds be released to them in 2023.
Working Group Co-Chair Marko Manoukian asked the delegation if it would be possible to have some additional money from the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill allocated to them for work setting up fish screens on the project, as that is required for the protection of bull trout. Manoukian said this would free up room for more of their $100 million allocation to be used on other projects related to the St. Mary’s System.
“That would leave more money that we could attack some other part of our dilapidated infrastructure,” said Manoukian.
Steve Darlinton of the Bureau of Reclamation said that the St. Mary’s Canal was turned on on Tuesday to begin the transfer of water to Fresno Reservoir. However, according to a Bureau of Reclamation water projection, “any decision to transfer storage to Nelson Reservoir will not occur until after the amount of water captured in Nelson during March is known and the initial irrigation season allotment is set.” That allotment is expected to be set at the Joint Board’s April 6th meeting. Irrigation allotments are expected to be less than a full water supply based on current storage and water forecasts.
Snowpack levels in the St. Mary’s basin are above average, as it was at 107 percent of median as of March 15th. However, levels on the plains (“very low to non-existent”) and in the Bear Paws (86 percent of median) are well below average, meaning another tough summer for producers could be coming, and it is very unlikely Fresno Reservoir will reach full pool this year.
Irrigation allotments are forecasted to be between 1.3 and 2.3 af per acre. Initial allotments are more likely to be set between 1.3-1.8 af per acre.
The next St. Mary’s Working Group meeting has not been scheduled, with those at the meeting saying they will want to look over the Ability to Pay Study once they reconvene.
Also at the meeting:
- The group announced that they have canceled their contract with Water Strategies for lobbying services, but are leaving the door open to another contract in the future if needed
- Coleman said that $3.6 million of the $10 million bonding authority from the contract for the drop structure fixes has been used up, leaving about $6.3 million for future bond proceeds
- A representative from NRCS says that the Milk River Joint Board has been selected to receive $1.5 million for a system modernization plan. These funds are from $918 million from the infrastructure bill for watershed and flood protection operations
- Kristal Fox, administrator for Fort Belknap’s Water Resources Department, said negotiations with the Department of Interior on their water compact are moving along at a “fast pace.” Fox says there will be a tribal education symposium in late April with the Department and Aaniiih Nakoda College to provide education on the compact
- Blackfeet Resource Monitoring Director Gerald Lunak said they are implementing their settlement and are building up capacity and staffing. He added that they are making land purchases on the Reservation as part of this. Most of the land is fee land
- The International Joint Commission’s study of the Milk River is ongoing
