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
👀 Here’s a little peak at the progress that is underway at the Diversion Dam near Babb, MT! This week, NW Construction is expanding the construction area, creating a bypass channel to maintain water flow during construction, and setting up a dewatering system for next year's work. Funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, this project is key to upgrading the infrastructure and ensuring safe fish passage! 🐠
#milkriverproject #diversiondam ... See MoreSee Less
10 CommentsComment on Facebook
Thank you for showing progress on this vital project that impacts a huge part of Eastern Montana!
Great Updates and Amazing progress 👏.
Great to see the progress bro g made on this project!! Keep Moving Forward!
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This week, Sletten Construction Company has been working on a major milestone: the final demolition of the existing pier in the river! 🏗️💥 This paves the way for drillers arriving in October to start work on the new bridge foundations.
#stmarysiphon #slettenconstruction #milkriverproject ... See MoreSee Less
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Brilliant Work you all! We need you and your water here up on the Hi-Line. Keep up your great work!
Good job Sletten and all are involved!! Keep up the great work you are doing!!
Switching gears back to Fresno Reservoir and the Safety of Dams project! Check out these stunning sunrises as NW Construction moves full steam ahead with no delays. Big news: Reclamation and NW Construction listened to your concerns about the spillway bridge closure, and there will be NO road closures this year. Expect one-lane traffic next year when work on the road begins. Stay tuned for more updates!
#milkriverproject #fresnosod
📸: @Marvin (Mugsy) Morris ... See MoreSee Less
9 CommentsComment on Facebook
Great pic's and information Great job keep up the Awesome job of keeping everyone informed & Thank you to everyone for continuing to support & share this information 👍👍
Is the fishing access site below the dam back open?
Some great work! A tribute to your excellent work. Good for another 100 years. Make sue you leave your names some where to be see.
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NW Construction continues to make great progress on the St. Mary Siphon site, with less than 30 days until pipe delivery! 🛠️ So far, over 150,000 yards have been excavated as crews push through the challenges of fall weather. 🌧️
They’re also hard at work cleaning up access roads and detour routes to keep traffic flowing smoothly and minimize impacts to the residents and community. 🚦
#MilkRiverProject #StMarySiphon #nwconstruction ... See MoreSee Less
10 CommentsComment on Facebook
That's a pretty big gash in the earth the excavators look like Tonka Toys 🙃🙂. Will there be tours for a closer look next summer?
Diverting water to other farm land or residents?
They going to have water flowing this fall or are we going to run out
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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
15 CommentsComment on Facebook
Wow those things are huge
How thick is the metal wall. 
About how many sections to complete the job?
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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
13 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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