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 clickĀ here.

Have questions about water rights or concerns about unauthorized use after the St. Mary Siphon failure?

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

Ā Acres of irrigated lands

700+

Farms

729

River miles of wildlife habitat and recreation

From Our Social Media

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The St. Mary inlet structure is really taking shape!

NW Construction is currently building up the fill around the back portion of the structure, and once it's compacted to spec, Sletten Construction will begin forming the aprons and walls that guide water into the inlet.

I've added a couple 3D renderings to give you a cool sneak peek of what the inside design will look like! šŸ‘€ You’ll see the built-in baffle system—these will be finished in metal to better control water flow and speed, and to make future maintenance and replacements in the field a whole lot easier than concrete. Sorry friends—no more bouncing pipes this time!

#MilkRiverProject #stmarysiphon
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The St. Mary inlet structure is really taking shape! 

NW Construction is currently building up the fill around the back portion of the structure, and once its compacted to spec, Sletten Construction will begin forming the aprons and walls that guide water into the inlet.

Ive added a couple 3D renderings to give you a cool sneak peek of what the inside design will look like! šŸ‘€ You’ll see the built-in baffle system—these will be finished in metal to better control water flow and speed, and to make future maintenance and replacements in the field a whole lot easier than concrete. Sorry friends—no more bouncing pipes this time!

#MilkRiverProject #stmarysiphonImage attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment
1 day ago

Yesterday, Sletten Construction Company poured an impressive 290 yards of concrete for the St. Mary Siphon outlet—a major milestone in the project! This outlet structure is massive, with walls reaching 27 feet tall. Just look at the size of the forms needed to shape it. The project remains on schedule, with water expected to return to the Milk River by July 2025.

#milkriverproject #stmarysiphon
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Yesterday, Sletten Construction Company  poured an impressive 290 yards of concrete for the St. Mary Siphon outlet—a major milestone in the project! This outlet structure is massive, with walls reaching 27 feet tall. Just look at the size of the forms needed to shape it. The project remains on schedule, with water expected to return to the Milk River by July 2025.

#MilkRiverProject #StMarySiphonImage attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment

šŸŒŽšŸ’§ Happy Earth Day from the Milk River Project! šŸ’§šŸŒŽ

Today we celebrate the land, water, and people that make the Milk River Basin truly one of a kind. From the headwaters in Glacier National Park to the irrigated fields along the Hi-Line, this system has connected generations and cultures—fueling agriculture, supporting communities, and carrying on traditions across Montana and beyond.

Here’s to working together—for clean water, healthy lands, and a future that flows strong. šŸŒ±šŸ’¦

#EarthDay #MilkRiverProject #WaterIsLife
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šŸŒŽšŸ’§ Happy Earth Day from the Milk River Project! šŸ’§šŸŒŽ

Today we celebrate the land, water, and people that make the Milk River Basin truly one of a kind. From the headwaters in Glacier National Park to the irrigated fields along the Hi-Line, this system has connected generations and cultures—fueling agriculture, supporting communities, and carrying on traditions across Montana and beyond.

Here’s to working together—for clean water, healthy lands, and a future that flows strong. šŸŒ±šŸ’¦

#EarthDay #MilkRiverProject #WaterIsLife

🚨 Water Rights & Operations Update 🚨

We’ve been getting tons of questions lately about water rights—vested rights, creek rights, Tribal rights, Project water, illegal use, pump contracts—you name it, we’ve heard it.

Normally, irrigation water starts flowing in early May. But with the St. Mary siphon still offline, Project water releases from Fresno Reservoir are now tentatively scheduled for May 20th.

šŸ’§ A tentative allotment of ½ acre-foot per acre (or water for half your acres) has been proposed once we start delivering. There will be another meeting on May 13th in Malta to reassess water availability—fingers crossed for better levels by then! šŸ¤ž

To help manage questions and concerns, we’ve set up a quick online form where you can:

āœ… Ask about your water rights
🚨 Report suspected illegal use
šŸ‘€ Let us know if you see something unusual

šŸ”— www.milkriverproject.com/water-rights-questions/

You can submit anonymously or leave your contact info if you’d like a response. There's no better watchdogs than all of you out in the basin. Mistakes happen—but so does water theft—and we need everyone’s help to stay on top of it.

We’ll research every concern. Just reach out. And remember—not all water is Project water. We also have to respect Tribal water rights, creek rights, and more.

In the meantime, there is water being delivered:

šŸ‘‰ The Fort Belknap Tribe has started releasing water for their Tribal irrigation acres.

šŸ‘‰ Water below the Fort Belknap Tribal Diversion is being used by the Lower Harlem Irrigation District and Malta Irrigation District.

šŸ‘‰ This allotment does not include acres served out of Nelson Reservoir. Storage at Nelson is adequate, and Malta Irrigation District will begin flushing canals on April 27th and start delivering water shortly after to their lower acres.

šŸ‘‰ Glasgow Irrigation District has started flushing and will begin delivering to the district using the natural flow in the river.

šŸ‘‰ Reclamation pump contracts and Upper Districts must stay off until water is officially released from Fresno to fulfill those contracts. (Fresno to Ft. Belknap)

šŸ‘‰ There are also no restrictions on the municipal contracts through the Bureau of Reclamation—those contracts will be fulfilled in full.

Thanks for sticking with us while we work to get St. Mary back online—and hey, keep praying for rain. ā˜”ļø Every drop helps!

Reminder: St. Mary Project water is expected to be back online by July 1st—or sooner if all goes well. We’ll keep you posted as progress continues!

#MilkRiverProject #StMaryUpdate #WaterRights
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On this not-so-good Friday, another key piece of our team is off to new adventures—congratulations to Lauri Ward on her well-deserved retirement! šŸŽ‰

Lauri may have worked more behind the scenes, but her impact on the Milk River Project—especially the St. Mary Diversion and St. Mary Siphon—has been enormous. She navigated the maze of environmental and endangered species permitting, worked with all the "alphabet soup" agencies to keep us in compliance and moving forward. Without her, we simply wouldn’t be where we are today.

Lauri, your deep knowledge, steady leadership, and behind-the-scenes magic will be greatly missed. We know you have big plans for travel, adventure, and plenty of good fishing ahead—and we couldn’t be happier for you. šŸ›«šŸŽ£

Wishing you blue skies, full coolers, and unforgettable adventures in this next chapter. Congratulations, Lauri! Thank you for everything you’ve done for the Milk River Project—your hard work and dedication will always be a part of its success.
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On this not-so-good Friday, another key piece of our team is off to new adventures—congratulations to Lauri Ward on her well-deserved retirement! šŸŽ‰

Lauri may have worked more behind the scenes, but her impact on the Milk River Project—especially the St. Mary Diversion and St. Mary Siphon—has been enormous. She navigated the maze of environmental and endangered species permitting, worked with all the alphabet soup agencies to keep us in compliance and moving forward. Without her, we simply wouldn’t be where we are today.

Lauri, your deep knowledge, steady leadership, and behind-the-scenes magic will be greatly missed. We know you have big plans for travel, adventure, and plenty of good fishing ahead—and we couldn’t be happier for you. šŸ›«šŸŽ£

Wishing you blue skies, full coolers, and unforgettable adventures in this next chapter. Congratulations, Lauri! Thank you for everything you’ve done for the Milk River Project—your hard work and dedication will always be a part of its success.

Well, I know it’s Good Friday—but it sure doesn’t feel all that good around here.

Today we say goodbye (sort of) to a legend: our longtime Dam Tender at Fresno, Marvin ā€œMugsā€ Morris, is officially retiring. Mugs has been with the Milk River Project since 2007, and to say he’s left a mark would be the understatement of the year.

Whether it was late-night gate changes during a storm, early morning adjustments to keep things on track, or catching issues before anyone else even had coffee—Mugs was there. Always dependable, always sharp, and somehow always in a good mood (even when we dragged him into a ridiculous photo op wearing a hat like this).

He’s trained a fantastic ā€œMugs 2.0ā€ to carry the torch, but let’s be honest—it’s hard to replicate decades of training, instinct, grit, and the kind of know-how that only comes from living and breathing this Project day in and day out.

Mugs, thank you for your service, your humor, and your unwavering commitment to keeping the system running smoothly. The dam won’t be the same without you—and neither will our crew.

You’ve earned every second of this retirement… but don’t be surprised if we still call you once in a while. Just maybe not at 5 a.m. šŸ˜‰

Cheers to you, Mugs. You will be deeply missed!
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Well, I know it’s Good Friday—but it sure doesn’t feel all that good around here.

Today we say goodbye (sort of) to a legend: our longtime Dam Tender at Fresno, Marvin ā€œMugsā€ Morris, is officially retiring. Mugs has been with the Milk River Project since 2007, and to say he’s left a mark would be the understatement of the year.

Whether it was late-night gate changes during a storm, early morning adjustments to keep things on track, or catching issues before anyone else even had coffee—Mugs was there. Always dependable, always sharp, and somehow always in a good mood (even when we dragged him into a ridiculous photo op wearing a hat like this).

He’s trained a fantastic ā€œMugs 2.0ā€ to carry the torch, but let’s be honest—it’s hard to replicate decades of training, instinct, grit, and the kind of know-how that only comes from living and breathing this Project day in and day out.

Mugs, thank you for your service, your humor, and your unwavering commitment to keeping the system running smoothly. The dam won’t be the same without you—and neither will our crew.

You’ve earned every second of this retirement… but don’t be surprised if we still call you once in a while. Just maybe not at 5 a.m. šŸ˜‰

Cheers to you, Mugs. You will be deeply missed!
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Milk River Project Partners