Milk River Project
The Lifeline of the Hi-Line
Ongoing Projects
Stay up-to-date as structures throughout the Milk River and St. Mary system move through the planning, design, and construction phases.
St. Mary Siphon Failure Updates
On June 17, 2024, the St. Mary Siphon failed, causing significant impacts to the Milk River Project. To stay informed click here.
Wildlife & Recreational Benefits
The Milk River flows over 700 miles creating incredible wildlife habitats, hunting, and recreational benefits.
What is the Milk River Project?
The Milk River Project is beyond remarkable. With over a century of successful operation, this engineering feat diverts water from the St. Mary River on the Blackfeet Reservation, flowing through northern Montana and Glacier National Park, and across southern Alberta, Canada. This project is a testament to the intricate canals, siphons, and diversions designed for a seamless flow of water. The Milk River Project is essential to fulfill Montana’s water demands, catering to eight irrigation districts, Reclamation pump contracts, private contracts, the Blackfeet and Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, and other living communities along the Milk River. The project has created numerous recreational opportunities for the surrounding inhabitants, contributing to the ecosystem’s prosperity and wildlife habitats. With such a prominent and successful project, the Milk River Project has proven to be a symbol of limitless possibilities.
Benefits to Montana’s Economy
How the Milk River Project has been providing to Northern Montana for over 100 years.
18,000
Residents provided drinking water
1,000,000
People fed annually
140,000
Acres of irrigated lands
700+
Farms
729
River miles of wildlife habitat and recreation
From Our Social Media
Milk River Project Partners
Happy Friday, friends! It’s been a busy and productive week on-site for our crews, but we’ve got an exciting update to share from our friends at Northwest Pipe Company. They have been hard at work, and the manufacturing of the St. Mary Siphon is now in full swing. The pipes are starting to take shape as you can see, and the next steps are just as exciting: the pipes will undergo hydrotesting to ensure the integrity of the spiral welds, followed by expanding one end of each pipe to create the bell end for lap joint installation. Afterward, the pipes will receive surface preparation on both the inside and outside before paint application. Finally, each pipe will be stulled, capped, and will undergo a final inspection before being loaded onto trailers for transit to the site. Another significant step forward in the project!
#stmarysiphon #milkriverproject ... See MoreSee Less
11 CommentsComment on Facebook
Wow those things are huge
About how many sections to complete the job?
Where is this being fabricated?
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🚧 Big changes are underway out here even though this is a short week! Sletten Construction Company has successfully removed the old bridge structure. You might notice the material that was pushed into the river from the failure—this has helped improve temporary site access to the bridge, but rest assured, we're working swiftly on getting approvals to address this.
The removal will be part of a collaborative Emergency Watershed Protection project with Blackfeet Environmental, Montana DNRC, Montana NRCS, Fish & Wildlife Service, HDR Engineering, Milk River Joint Board, and Reclamation. Together, we're committed to restoring the stream’s natural beauty and ensuring a sustainable environmental recovery. Stay tuned for more updates as NW Construction takes on this section of the project! 🌿✨ 🌿 #streamrestoration #NRCS #DNRC #milkriverproject #stmarysiphon ... See MoreSee Less
11 CommentsComment on Facebook
Are blueprints available to the public?
Where’s that?
Amazing how fast things can happen when all the water for down stream users are out of water just my thoughts
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To really appreciate the St. Mary Siphon let’s dive into the history of this structure, which after the failure, has been the key focuses of our project.
🔙 1912-1915: The downstream barrel was constructed, but it didn’t produce enough water.
🔄 1925-1926: To increase capacity, the upstream barrel was added.
Swipe through these fascinating photos to see how it was built back then. We’re certainly grateful for the modern machinery we have today to keep things moving forward! #StMarySiphon #milkriverproject ... See MoreSee Less
23 CommentsComment on Facebook
Awesome photos, after the work of this project is all complete, It would be really cool to see an visitor/interpretive center constructed to showcase the history to present construction and the importance of supplying water to the highline. 
It's hard to believe that there was an imagineer that could dream up this concept. Havre to Glasgow would be quite desolate without it. Are there any other systems like this in the world Jennifer Patrick ? I see China is building one but really don't see any others.
These aren’t straws…I’m 6’3”!
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Summer isn’t over yet, so let's hold off on the pumpkin spice until after September 22! 🌞 There’s still plenty of time to soak in the beauty of our Hi-Line reservoirs, part of the incredible Milk River Project. While Fresno Dam near Havre might be a bit lower, the water sports are still in full swing, and the fishing at Nelson Reservoir has been fantastic (though good luck getting anyone to share their secret spots! 🎣). Make the most of this Labor Day weekend—get outside, enjoy Fresno and Nelson, and have a safe holiday weekend! ... See MoreSee Less
4 CommentsComment on Facebook
I need a boat, but first a new lawn
You guys would be done already if you had scrapers.
Like the flag
We’re “rolling” into the weekend with some fantastic news! Steel coil for the St. Mary Siphon project has just arrived by rail at Northwest Pipe Company in Portland, ready to be manufactured into the pipes for this critical infrastructure project. Stay tuned as we continue to make strides in bringing the water back to the Milk River!
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12 CommentsComment on Facebook
What thickness of steel will the pipes be?
Great news
Thanks so much to everyone for the work they’re doing
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When we called for all hands-on deck, NW Construction answered with all hands— and "arms"—literally! 🚜 As of yesterday, they've excavated and moved 72,000 yards of material in preparation for the new pipe. All of the old concrete structures have been completely removed, and the old siphon pipe has been hauled away. Great progress, team!
#milkriverproject #StMarySiphon #nwconstruction ... See MoreSee Less
20 CommentsComment on Facebook
As one who sits downstream awaiting the eventual return of water to our section of the Milk River, I thank you for your dedication to this project and look forward to you successfully fulfilling your goals in this matter. May you continue safely.
Just like the work being done on Fresno, surprises me how excavators and articulated trucks have replaced the usage of scrapers to move dirt. Back when I ran heavy equipment it was lower cost per yard using scrapers over trucks and loaders. But we didn’t have the articulated trucks back then. So maybe the cost per yard is cheaper to move using this method.
Thanks for the great updates Awesome job 👏.
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