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.
MRJBOC invites the public to participate in the Draft Watershed-EIS Plan Scoping Meeting. Click here to learn more and get involved.
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
Abby Brown and Raylee Honeycutt have done a great job breaking down water rights and policy, from the basics to some of the more technical issues!
Have an hour to spare tonight? Grab a comfy spot on the couch and join them at 7:00 PM for the final session in their series, covering Water Policy and the 2027 Legislative Session. 💧
Whether you're new to water policy or have been around it for years, it never hurts to brush up and learn something new!💧 Join MSGA on November 4 for it's last Water Policy Webinar: Water Policy and the 2027 Legislative Session. Register online at the link in our bio! 💧
The final webinar will look ahead to the 2027 Montana Legislative Session and the key water policy issues expected to be considered by the Montana Legislature. The discussion will explore proposed changes to Montana’s water laws, potential impacts on water rights and agricultural producers, and the policy discussions shaping the upcoming session. ...
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Everything in the world feels so negative today, so I thought I’d share one of my favorite places and a little bit of good news! ❤️
Beautiful Fresno Reservoir is heading into winter storage at 61% full! What a great sight to see as we head into the colder months!
If you’ve been out to Fresno recently, you may have noticed some cracks, lines, coring spots, and markings on the spillway. Well, there's a reason for those, and I thought I’d share a little about what we have in the works!
We are working with the Bureau of Reclamation, with funding assistance from a Montana DNRC grant and support from the St. Mary Working Group, to move forward with some much-needed Operations and Maintenance improvements to the Fresno Spillway.
The project will focus on repairing cracks, installing waterstops to help reduce the impacts of freezing and thawing at the concrete joints, and addressing areas of deteriorating concrete and voids that have developed over the years.
We are currently in the design phase, working through the details to get this project ready to move forward. So stay tuned!
And here's the important part for our water users: We are planning this work so it will not restrict normal water deliveries or reservoir operations. The only real challenge would be if Fresno were full and water needed to flow over the spillway, because obviously we don't want water coming down the spillway while crews are working on it! 😊
A lot of the work that goes into maintaining our Milk River Project infrastructure isn't always visible, but it's incredibly important. Taking care of what we have today helps make sure it's here to serve our communities, irrigators, and future generations for years to come.
For now, just enjoy the beautiful view of Fresno as we head into winter. Sometimes it's nice to turn off all the noise in the world and appreciate what we have right here in our own backyard! ❤️ ...
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The puzzle is coming together at St. Mary Diversion Dam! 🧩🚧
Crews are installing the sluice gates, and this is where all that hard work gets put to the test. The measurements, concrete pours, and careful planning all come together as the gates are fitted, adjusted to open properly, and equipped with the mechanisms that will operate them.
There’s a lot that goes into making these big pieces move just right. Piece by piece, it’s coming together! ...
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A whole lot of concrete pouring happening at St. Mary Diversion Dam in Babb, MT, as crews work to stay ahead of the weather! With plenty of backfilling and other work underway, everyone’s making the most of the time before that “little white rain” rolls in. ❄️🚧
Big thanks to the crews putting in the hard work as winter starts knocking! ...
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🦌 Hunting season in the Milk River Valley… where the bucks are handsome and the mud doesn’t care if you have four-wheel drive! 😂
With the recent moisture, please tread lightly. Those fields might look like a shortcut to your trophy buck, but ruts aren’t the kind of tracks we want left behind! If it’s soft and muddy, keep your tires out. 🌧️🚜
A little gate etiquette goes a long way:
🚪 Found it OPEN? Leave it OPEN.
🔒 Found it CLOSED? CLOSE it behind you.
There’s usually a reason—and nobody wants to spend their afternoon chasing cows instead of bucks! 🐄🤣
🛑 Please pay attention to and respect NO HUNTING and NO TRESPASSING signs. That big buck on the other side doesn’t get to grant you permission! Always ask the landowner before entering private property.
Pack out what you pack in, and remember that hardworking people make their living here.
This beautiful Milk River Valley is a gift. Let’s protect the land, respect the people who care for it, and keep it beautiful for everyone who comes after us. 💛
Good luck, hunt safely, and may your stories be big and your ruts nonexistent! 🦌 ...
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💨 It’s a little breezy out at Fresno Reservoir… if you see our dam engineer Kody flying by, please return him. 😂
The reservoir levels are looking great! Our tumbleweed inventory is also at an all-time high.
If anyone is missing a few thousand tumbleweeds, please come collect them. No proof of ownership required. 🌾🤣
Might have to get Kody one of those little torch toys… pretty sure he’d volunteer for tumbleweed duty a lot faster! 🔥😂
🎥 Video credit: Kyle Peterson ...
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