Montana’s canal pipeline splits open, flooding the area and threatening the local agricultural industry

BABB, Mont. (AP) – Montana state officials rushed Tuesday to stop flooding caused by the rupture of a century-old pipe used to supply drinking water to 14,000 residents and transport irrigation water to farms.

No injuries or deaths have been reported since the pipe burst Monday, causing flooding in the rural area east of Glacier National Park near the U.S.-Canadian border. According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the flowing water from the 90-inch (229-centimeter) diameter pipe caused a series of washouts 50 feet (15.24 meters) deep.

The break in the siphon of the St. Mary Canal, which serves 120,000 acres (48,562 hectares) of irrigated land, occurred a month before a $100 million replacement project was to begin and during the peak irrigation season, when demand for diverted water is highest . . Local officials with the Milk River Project, the organization that would oversee the replacement project, called the breach a “catastrophic failure” that could result in an economic disaster for north-central Montana.

The flooding has already caused property damage and road closures and may cause utility disruptions in surrounding areas. Although the canal was closed before the outage, the hill and a nearby bar, hotel and arena suffered significant damage, project leaders said.

Ryan Newman, Montana regional manager for the Bureau of Reclamation, said emergency crews are assessing the damage and trying to determine what caused the outage.

The agency’s 2023 study into the upcoming replacement project warned that such a failure would hit farmers through reduced crop production and could put a strain on local businesses and communities. The extent of the economic impact, which has yet to be determined, will depend on how long it takes for crews to restore the flow of diversion water to local producers.

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