State-Owned Irrigation Projects 



The State of Montana owns several water conservation 

 projects in the basin. Many of these were built by the State 

 Water Conservation Board (SWCB) , which was formed in 193 5 

 during the Depression and serious drought. Most of the 

 projects are administered by the Water Resources Division of 

 the DNRC through a contractual agreement with local water 

 users associations. The water marketing contracts require 

 the associations to pay the state its investment in the 

 project plus an operation and maintenance (O&M) fee in 

 exchange for delivery of the water. Many of the local water 

 associations operate the projects themselves, with DNRC 

 maintaining a supervisory capacity. 



Information on each of the five state-owned irrigation 

 projects is summarized in Table 2-7. Additional information 

 can be obtained from the publication "State Water Conserva- 

 tion Projects" (DNRC 1977) . Although most of the water 

 stored by these projects is used for irrigation, there is 

 also recreational use on some of the reservoirs. In 

 addition, various organizations have purchased water from the 

 Painted Rocks Project to augment streamflows in the Bitter- 

 root River for protection of fisheries. In 1958, the Western 

 Montana Fish and Game Association in Missoula, the Ravalli 

 County Fish and Wildlife Association, and the Montana Fish 

 and Game Department (now the Department of Fish, Wildlife and 

 Parks or DFWP) purchased 5,000 AF per year, at a cost of 

 $110,400 for the life of the Painted Rocks project. They 

 also agreed to pay $500 per year for operation and main- 

 tenance costs. In 1985, 1986, and 1987, the DFWP purchased 

 an additional 10,000 AF per year. The department is 

 currently negotiating for the long-term purchase of 10,000 AF 

 per year; recently, the Montana Power Company contributed 

 $250,000 to a trust fund to purchase this water from the 

 reservoir as fisheries mitigation for its Thompson Falls 

 hydropower project under the Northwest Power Planning Act. 

 Very recent local efforts have been initiated by Trout 

 Unlimited and others to acquire the remaining 17,000 AF for 

 instream flow purposes. 



Benefits and Costs of Irrigation to Western Montana's Economy 



Irrigation benefits agricultural production, and 

 agricultural production is an important factor in western 

 Montana's economy. Approximately two-thirds of all crops 

 produced in the region are irrigated, and 83 percent of the 

 irrigated land produces hay. The high percentage of 

 irrigated hay corresponds to the dominance of livestock 

 production in the agricultural sector. Livestock production 

 accounts for approximately $83 million annually, or 73 



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