Lower Yellowstone Irrigation District held its annual meeting Friday, February 13 at the Moose Lodge in Sidney with board of control chairman Richard Cayko as emcee.
It was announced that Tony Barone is a new member of the board of control, replacing Bud Groskinsky who retired.
Jamie Selting gave a report on the AWEP program which has provided funding for sprinkler irrigation. He stated that 2.5 million has been spent so far in Montana under the program. The benefits of the pivot system include saving an estimated 4000 acre feet, or 1.3 billion gallons, of water per year, while preventing the leaching of fertilizers and chemicals. Reduced tillage is now possible allowing for different crop rotations and options for soil health. Labor is also drastically reduced with the pivot system. This is the final year of the program. The deadline to apply for funds is February 20, 2015.
Manager James Brower gave an overview of the activities of the project during the past year and an update on the progress being made on the fish bypass and concrete weir. A highlight was the headline in the Billings Gazette on Thursday, February 12 which said “Model proves Yellowstone River bypass proposal should work”.
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