NEAR BABB — The St. Mary River Canal siphon suffered a catastrophic failure on June 17, 2024, causing the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to take action.
Subzero temperatures and brutal winter conditions might slow down most projects, but crews at the Saint Mary's Siphon Repair project are pushing forward with critical repairs despite the freezing cold.
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"We're fighting through it, and keeping guys as warm as we can with heaters and everything, throughout the day. But it's challenging working in the winter in Montana," Sletten project manager Ian McIntosh said. "That's why we generally don't do it.”
It’s not just cold fingers and toes that workers have to deal with. There are numerous construction challenges and accommodations.
Frozen ground and rock have made digging and backfill difficult, and they’ve had to use modified concrete mix.
“Frozen concrete just doesn't work. We've got to heat the concrete and make sure it doesn't freeze, and keeping that temperature up until you've got full strength is what we're doing," project inspector Gary Lundberg said.
Montana winter is not the only obstacle facing the project, which is funded by a mix of federal and state funds, with 52% of the project covered federally and 48% of the project covered by Montana stakeholders.
However, federal funds remain frozen due to the “Unleashing American Energy” Executive Order issued by President Donald Trump.
The Milk River Project Joint Board of Control told MTN News: “Despite this setback, the project team remains confident that the St. Mary Siphon Repair Project aligns with the order’s objectives and continues to work diligently with federal agencies and congressional leaders to expedite the release of funds as soon as possible.”
For now the project is moving forward without delays and funding interruptions, with state funds secured through a loan agreement under House Bill 6, passed during the 2023 Montana legislative session.
And on the ground in Babb, crews are working with a sense of urgency, knowing that thousands of people across north-central Montana rely on water from the Milk River Project for their livelihood.
"Yeah, everybody feels it, you know, and most of our employees live here on the reservation. And yeah, they want to get it get it going again," Lundberg noted.
McIntosh added, "It's pretty close to home, being from Chinook, so you got a lot of friends. And obviously my family still lives there. It's vital for people who live on the Hi-Line. I mean, there's not much water in Fresno right now, so getting the canal back going and getting the water there is vital to everybody who's irrigating, everybody who's living on the Hi-Line."
The timeline to restore water to the Milk River is late summer 2025.
