By Josh Margolis
WASHINGTON (NMB) – U.S. Congressman Greg Gianforte has announced that Drop 5 of the St. Mary Canal and Conveyance Works System suffered a “catastrophic failure” on Sunday and is urging President Donald Trump to take action to ensure its repair as quickly as possible.
In a letter to the President, Gianforte stated that, “without this repair, Montanans across the Hi-Line will soon turn on their faucets and no water will come out.”
The project provides supplemental irrigation water along the Milk River, as well as water to the Fort Belknap Indian Community, the Blackfeet Nation and many towns along the Hi-Line.
Marko Manoukian, Co-Chair of the St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group, confirmed the Drop 5 failure to New Media Broadcasters on Monday afternoon, adding that it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the more than 100-year-old system suffered a serious failure.
