St. Mary Canal failure stirs agriculture, ecological concerns

The catastrophic failure of two siphons on the St. Mary Canal near Babb could create a ripple effect on Montana's agriculture industry this summer, officials warned Tuesday.

The siphons used to divert water from the St. Mary River to the Milk River outside of East Glacier burst Monday morning, causing significant flooding and damage to some businesses in the area. 

The Milk River Joint Board of Control said the initial failure occurred in the morning while U.S. Bureau of Reclamation personnel were monitoring a crack in a siphon. The canal was shut down prior to the failure, but a hillside and Hook’s Hide-Away bar and hotel were “significantly impacted with the water,” the Milk River Project said in social media post.  

The second siphon failed later that afternoon. The powerful water flow caused the more than 100-year-old siphons to break apart, washing away the concrete structures holding the pipes underneath. 

“Siphons do have leaks and seeps from year to year,” explained Ryan Newman, the area manager for the Montana office for the Bureau of Reclamation. 

According to Newman, Bureau officials were not officially monitoring a crack, rather just making sure the site was working correctly — a day-to-day standard practice, Newman said.  

Newman said the failure was not expected but noted that the Bureau has been working on a plan to replace the century-old infrastructure.  

“Our biggest message right now is just public safety,” Newman said, pointing toward unstable banks and a washed-out hillside. 

People are advised to stay out of the area. The Blackfeet Business Council closed Camp 9 Road near Powell's roping arena and Hook’s Hide-Away, and all activities related to the canal and St. Mary River in the area until further notice. 

Aside from the immediate flooding impacts, Sen. Jon Tester is concerned about how the project failure will affect the hundreds of farmers and ranchers on the Hi-Line who depend on the water to irrigate their crops. The Milk River Project furnishes water for the irrigation of around 121,000 acres of land. 

“This is a disaster that requires the immediate and full attention of the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture," Tester wrote in a letter to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. "I ask that you swiftly work to ensure that the local community and the irrigators have the resources they need to confront the challenges that lay ahead.” 

David Spotted Eagle Jr., the aquatic lands protection coordinator for the Blackfeet Nation, said the event could negatively affect downstream habitat and irrigation properties.  

“It’s going to have a big ripple effect,” he said. 

Downstream users of the canal, Spotted Eagle said, use the water for irrigation, for stock water, as a border fence and more. In the agricultural realm, he said, many downstream users will be affected.  

Another of Spotted Eagle’s concerns is erosion. When flooding happens and sediment is brought into the water, the environmental impacts will fall on fish and wildlife, he said.   

“All of this pushed quite a bit of sediment down into the water,” he said. “We are expecting a loss in aquatic habitat.”  

The next steps, according to Spotted Eagle, will be cleanup work and mending the area and infrastructure. He said that will be up to the Bureau of Reclamation.

Delegates from Montana, like Tester, have also voiced concern about the project failure and flooding.   

“I’m monitoring the St Mary’s siphon failure in Babb closely," Rep. Ryan Zinke said in a social media post. "Thankfully no injuries reported but please heed the advice of public safety officials and avoid the area. The St Mary’s is critical infrastructure delivering water down nearly the entire Hi-Line." 

Gov. Greg Gianforte also said he is monitoring the incident.   

“We remain in contact with local officials as we monitor the situation and understand the full extent of damage to the area,” Gianforte posted on social media. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, negotiated by Tester and signed into law in 2021 by President Biden, was designed to mitigate events like siphon failure by allocating $8.3 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation to repair aging water delivery systems, secure dams, complete rural water projects and protect aquatic ecosystems.  

Up to $100 million from the federal funding was allocated to repair the Milk River Project, and earlier this month an $88 million contract was awarded to Montana-based NW Construction to complete the St. Mary Diversion Dam Replacement project. 

Newman said there are multiple avenues to explore for fixing the site, with funding possibly coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.  

“What ultimately ends up working remains to be seen,” he said.  

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.