NRCS Montana Conservation News - February 18, 2026
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has prepared a Draft Watershed Plan-Environmental Impact Statement (Draft Plan-EIS) for the Milk River and St. Mary River Watersheds. The effort is sponsored by the Milk River Joint Board of Control (MRJBOC), in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and in participation with the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council. The MRJBOC proposes to modernize the St. Mary Canal System to improve the reliability and capacity of St. Mary River water deliveries and reduce damages to irrigated agriculture and agricultural communities served by the Milk River Project. The Draft Plan-EIS project includes reshaping the St. Mary Canal prism; siphon modification, updating drop structures, wasteways/drains, and underdrains (culverts); mitigating slides; and improving the operation and maintenance roads. These measures would improve water delivery reliability, decrease agricultural damages to Milk River Project irrigators, and mitigate the risk of infrastructure failure.
The proposed project is regionally important. Water for USBR’s Milk River Project is diverted from the St. Mary River and conveyed through the St. Mary Canal to the North Fork Milk River. The Milk River Project supplies water to approximately 120,000 acres, including eight irrigation districts, the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, numerous private irrigators, several municipalities, and the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge. Agriculture is an essential part of the north-central Montana economy, and agricultural production depends on the structural integrity of the St. Mary Canal and its associated infrastructure. Water diverted from the St. Mary River and conveyed to the North Fork Milk River through the St. Mary Canal comprises a range of 70–95 percent of the total flow in the Milk River, as measured in Havre, Montana, from May through September, depending upon whether it was a dry or average year for precipitation. Correspondingly, water conveyed through the St. Mary Canal comprises over half of the Milk River Project’s water supply in an average year.
The project is sponsored by the MRJBOC, with funding and technical support from NRCS and USBR. Farmers Conservation Alliance and HDR Inc. are assisting with the planning process as contractors.
The Draft Plan-EIS can be viewed online at www.milkriverproject.com/projects/watershed.
Members of the public are invited to comment on the project and impact analysis during three in-person comment meetings. Meeting details are as follows:
Havre Public Meeting March 3, 2026, from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Best Western Plus Great Northern Inn 1345 1st St, Havre, MT 59501
Malta Public Meeting March 3, 2026, from 4:30–5:30 p.m. Great Northern Hotel 2 S 1st St E, Malta, MT 59538
Browning Public Meeting* March 4, 2026, from 12:00–1:00 p.m. Glacier Peaks Hotel & Casino 50 Museum Loop, Browning, MT 59417
*Browning Public Meeting: Lunch will be provided at 11:30 a.m. prior to the meeting. An RSVP is requested by February 25 if joining for lunch at milkriver.project.comments@gmail.com or (541) 716-6085.
Participants will have an opportunity to learn more about the proposed project and submit their comments, ideas, and concerns. A recorded presentation will be uploaded to www.milkriverproject.com/projects/watershed.
Public comments may be submitted from February 13, 2026, through March 30, 2026. Comments may be emailed to milkriver.project.comments@gmail.com, submitted online at www.milkriverproject.com/projects/watershed, left as a voice message at (406) 587-6712, or mailed to: USDA NRCS, Alyssa Fellow, Environmental Compliance Biologist, 10 East Babcock Street, Room 443, Bozeman, MT 59715.
Following the public comment period, project partners will review comments, incorporate or address comments, and finalize the Watershed Plan-Environmental Impact Statement, including a record of responses to comments.
Additional information is available online at www.milkriverproject.com/projects/watershed or the NRCS Montana web page at www.nrcs.usda.gov/montana/watershed-and-flood-prevention.
The meeting locations are accessible to people with disabilities. A request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting to Preston Brown at (541) 716-6085 or preston.brown@fcasolutions.org.
More Information
To learn more about NRCS programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also apply for NRCS programs, manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.
For 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers and forestland owners make investments in their operations and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat. NRCS uses the latest science and technology to help keep working lands working, boost agricultural economies, and increase the competitiveness of American agriculture. NRCS provides one-on-one, personalized advice and financial assistance and works with producers to help them reach their goals through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov.
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