Public meetings will be held Wednesday, April 23 at 6 p.m. at the Dawson County High School in Glendive and Thursday, April 24 at 6 p.m. at the Sidney High School in Sidney to discuss the fate of irrigation in the Yellowstone Valley.
The Endangered Species Act requires measures to protect the pallid sturgeon and other at risk fish in the Yellowstone River, however a strong support of irrigation must be shown. LaVanchie Starkey, interim executive director of the Sidney Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture stated, "Richland County has long been the Agri-business hub of eastern Montana. With farmers and ranchers relying on irrigation for major crops such as sugar beets, corn, wheat, hay and barley, the loss would be devastating to our community. With the potential loss of jobs and added expense to producers, all areas of agri-business, and eventually, the consumer, would be negatively impacted."
The proposed concrete weir at Intake and reinforced fish bypass on Joe's Island will provide three things: passage for the pallid sturgeon and other at risk species, reliable water for irrigation, and improved recreational opportunities for boaters.
Money has been allocated for the project, which will be lost if the contract is not awarded by the end of this fiscal year, September 2014.
The Lower Yellowstone Irrigation project, including the Intake diversion dam, was constructed during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency to, as he said, "make the deserts bloom", "to reclaim arid lands", "not to make money, but to make homes", and to "establish farms and relieve urban congestion".
It provides a reliable source of water to over 53,000 acres of cropland in northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota.
In 2012, a new head works structure and fish screens to reduce fish entrainment in the irrigation canal were completed by the Corp of Engineers, in conjunction with the Bureau of Reclamation and other government entities. The plan at that time provided for a new extended rock ramp. However, the project was delayed due to complications with construction and maintenance of the proposed rock ramp. The most acceptable means of achieving the government mandated fish passage was the now proposed Fish passage and a new longer Rocking tower. Then an order from the Corps regulatory division stopped all rocking of the existing Intake diversion structure which relied on annual additions of Rock. "Without the consistent ability to add rock, we will not have water in the hotter months of summer when the farmers need it most," James Brower, manager of LYIP said.
An existing high water fish bypass on Joe's Island only contains water during flood conditions, making it impassible for the pallid sturgeon most years.
The new plan which Brower, the Army Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Reclamation and other entities have worked on for the past year consists of a 6' wide, fish friendly concrete weir and rock ramps which together provide reliable irrigation water as well as passage for most fish species, except the pallid sturgeon.
The proposed reinforced fish passage on Joe's Island will work in all flows, providing passage for the pallid sturgeon. The Corps inspected Joe's Island after the ice jams and flooding in March, a 100 year event. They found no damage to the island or the existing high water bypass. "It didn't even erode the grass in the natural channels from past floods," Brower said.
The project is critical to the communities from Glendive to Williston which rely on a strong agricultural economy. John Franklin, president of 1st Bank, Sidney and Broadus, said, "I'm surprised that we're spending $50 million to protect a pre-historic fish. However, if that's what we have to spend to protect the production of food for the U.S., it has to be done. The lack of irrigation water to the Yellowstone Valley would devastate the communities in this valley, the local producers and decrease the production of beef, sugar, wheat for bread and pasta and barley for beer, which are consumed throughout the U.S. The term "devastate" is probably not dire enough to describe the economic impact to these communities and U.S. consumers."
President Roosevelt believed that water reclamation projects were as important in the realization of his conservation agenda as his work expanding the National Parks, the National Forest system, designating National Monuments and inventing the Federal Bird Sanctuaries (National Wildlife Refuges).
The proposed fish friendly concrete weir and fish bypass provide the best solution to comply with the Endangered Species Act, and to provide reliable irrigation water to the Yellowstone Valley. Please show your support at one, or both, of the scheduled public meetings.
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