Year was challenging
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2015 was a challenging year. Early in the year, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ compact took center stage and required a lot of resources and time. This was passed by a simple majority by both houses of legislature. The Montana Constitution states plainly that Montana cannot wave its sovereign immunity without a two-thirds majority in both houses. The compact is being challenged on this basis in district court by the Flathead Joint Board of Control. This also does not cover the constitutionality of the compact itself.
Next up, 2015 was one of the driest years in history. Low snowfall and a warm, dry spring started irrigation in the middle of April; spring runoff started in the middle of March, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs that has managed the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project since 2014 failed to capture much of this early runoff. According to the April 2015 report, the FIIP had 69,640 acre feet of water carried over in project reservoirs from 2014 — 30,823 acre feet from the Mission Valley and 38,817 acre feet from Camas. According to the FIIP manager in the December 2015 meeting, the FIIP delivered 82.493 acre feet of irrigation water to 82,994 acres of land in 2015. That means the FIIP captured very little irrigation water in reservoirs in 2015. The BIA operation manual states that Jocko River historically runs 215,000 acre-feet in one year alone..Creeks along the Mission range run close to this at 297,000 acre feet or more per year. Camas runs 27,876 acre feet per year — the point being that more than 50,000 acre-feet of irrigation water came out of the mountains in 2015. Yes, we have to meet — and do meet — instream flows of 270,000 acre-feet; but do the numbers. The Flathead pumps can pump up to 46,000 acre-feet per year if you have a place to put it. Pablo Reservoir holds 28,000 acre-feet. The Flathead pumps were not started until June 10. FIIP had the pumps apart and sent some parts out for repair in February or March 2015. Whey were these pumps not serviced in October, November and December 2014? The FIIP knew they needed repair at the end of the 2014 season. This is poor management. We could also mention stock water was cut off to large parts of the FIIP. Remember, large part of stock water is stored irrigation water in reservoirs. Some of this water was dumped down creeks the fall of 2015, and farmers were hauling stock water.
Next up in 2015 the BIA sent the FJBA a $7.50 per-acre increase in operation and maintenance, stating the reason was the rundown condition of the Flathead project. The FJBC refused to assess this increase without a breakdown of FIIP expenses and employee costs, which the BIA refused to offer. BIA Portland has been in control of the project sine the mid 1980s, with four year of Cooperative Management Entity (irrigator) control from 2010-2014. Before 1985 BIA Billings was in control and it was maintained better and more financial accountability was given. Point being that the Flathead irrigation project deteriorated from 1985 to 2010 under BIA Portland control. Not much maintenance work was done. Operation and management rates increased from $8.50 per acre in 1985 to more than $23 per acre by 2010. In the December BIA meeting, BIA did say that no increase
