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Montana Area Office Projects

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Montana Area Office Projects MONTANA AREA OFFICE Steve Davies, Area Manager Montana Area Office, Great Plains Region January 2018 Montana Area Office Projects Lake Sherburne Dam 2 Reclamation’s Montana Dams Hungry Horse Como Reclamation Montana Infrastructure • 14 Dams Classified as High-Hazard • 9 Diversion Dams Classified as Low-Hazard • 10 Pumping Plants • 3 Hydroelectric Powerplants (428 MW, 250 MW, 50 MW) • 22 Irrigation Districts on 12 Projects • 400,000 Irrigated Acres of Farm Land • 1,000s Miles of Canals and Laterals • Over 100 Grazing Units on Reclamation Lands Reclamation Storage Facilities Dam Year Completed Storage Capacity (AF) Hungry Horse Dam 1952 3.4 Million Canyon Ferry Dam 1954 1.9 Million Yellowtail Dam 1966 1 Million Tiber Dam 1956 925,600 Clark Canyon Dam 1964 174,000 Gibson Dam 1929 98,700 Fresno Dam 1939 91,700 Nelson Dikes 1915 79,000 Lake Sherburne Dam 1921 66,100 Pishkun Dikes 1915 47,000 Como Dam 1910 38,500 Willow Creek Dam 1911 31,800 Helena Valley Dam 1958 10,400 Yellowtail Afterbay Dam 1966 3,100 Water Rights • Reclamation holds 205 water rights (east of Divide) • Heavily involved in the ongoing adjudication – Currently working in 11 basins (involved in 30 basins +/-) – Addressing/Resolving Issue Remarks – Addressing/Resolving Objections • We successfully negotiate settlements on 99% of claims we object to. Water Contracting • Administer 238 water related contracts (east of Divide) – Construction Repayment Contracts – Operation & Maintenance Contracts – Dam Safety Repayment Contracts – Water Service Contracts – Loan Program Repayment Contracts • Water marketing availability (east of Divide) – Canyon Ferry Reservoir – Tiber Reservoir Recent Development Interest • Tiber Irrigation Project – 100,000 acres +/- in Liberty, Hill, Choteau Counties – 225,000 acre-feet of water +/- • Canyon Ferry Irrigation Water Users Association – Smaller portion of proposed Avalanche Irrigation Project – 2,700 acres +/- in Broadwater County – 8,000 acre-feet of water +/- • Fresno Dam – Storage Increase – Milk River Joint Board of Control (8 Districts) – Exploring in conjunction with upcoming modification project – Goal is recapture of volume lost due to sedimentation (~ 35kaf) Challenges • Aging Infrastructure • Competition for Federal Funding • Challenges with the Endangered Species Act Milk River Project Authorized in 1903 Montana Dam Safety Activities Major Activities: • Nelson Dikes Modification – Completed in 2017 • Fresno Dam Modifications – Initiated in 2017 11 Nelson Dikes 12 Fresno Dam Lower Yellowstone Project • The pallid sturgeon was listed as endangered in 1990. • Corps of Engineers and Reclamation have been working on improving passage and reducing entrainment since early 2000’s. Lower Yellowstone Project • Reclamation & Corps EA/FONSI in April 2015 (Bypass Channel) • Legal challenge by Defenders of Wildlife and Natural Resource Defense Council – Preliminary Injunction Issued Stopping Construction • EIS and Record of Decision: December 2, 2016 – Bypass Alternative – Construction Proceeded • Preliminary Injunction Granted: July 5, 2017 – Corps is terminating the construction contract. • Federal Agencies Appealed PI Ruling: September 2017 – Hearing Scheduled: March 5, 2018 - Portland Oregon – Ruling on PI Appeal: ~ 1 year • Plaintiffs Filed Motion for Summary Judgement: December 2017 – Potential Hearing in Great Falls, MT: Late Summer/Early Fall 2018 – Ruling on the Merits of the Case: ~ 1 to 1.5 years. Lower Yellowstone Project Current Status – Ongoing Studies • Compliance with 2016 Biological Opinion • Translocation – Very Successful in 2016 – 5 pallid sturgeon Translocation – 3 pallid sturgeon migrated 150 miles upstream (~100 miles up Powder River) • Entrainment Monitoring – On-going since 2012 – Screens appear to be working, reduction in entrainment rates • Passage Monitoring (Native Species) – Looking at passage success of: Shovelnose Sturgeon, Blue Sucker, Channel Catfish, Sauger • Reclamation, Corps, MT FWP, USFWS, USGS Lower Yellowstone – Proposed Bypass Pallid Sturgeon St Mary Diversion Dam & Headworks Milk River Project International Boundary Waters Treaty • Signed in 1909 • 1921 International Joint Commission (IJC) Order – Established Rules for sharing of St. Mary & Milk Rivers • Division of Flows – April 1 to October 31: – St. Mary River • Canada share is ¾ of Natural Flow up to 666 cfs • 50-50 share of flows in excess of 666 cfs – Milk River • US share is ¾ of Natural Flow up to 666 cfs • 50-50 share of flows in excess of 666 cfs St. Mary Diversion Dam & Headworks • Bull Trout – Listed as threatened in 1999 – Diversion Dam restricts upstream and downstream passage – Headworks entrain bull trout during the irrigation season. Questions & Discussion?.
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