Milk River Watershed Alliance Film Project
The Milk River Watershed Alliance (Montana) in partnership with, Montana DNRC, Conservation districts/Counties of the highline, Blackfeet Nation, and the Milk River Watershed Council Canada have completed a video to showcase the St Mary Diversion headworks and challenges facing water security for communities on both sides of the border!
Please watch the video, share, and start a conversation; the MRWCC is working with our partners to facilitate long term solutions to water security that strikes a balance on environmental, social, and economic challenges.
As residents, recreationalists, and water users you need to let your elected officials from Municipal, Provincial, and Federal governments know that political will and leadership are required to ensure security.
Quick Facts:
- Do you know where our water comes from?
On average 80-90% of the river flow of the Milk River comes from a diversion off the St Mary’s River in Montana. If not for the St Mary’s diversion, most years late summer natural flow of the Milk River east of the Town of Milk River would be non-existent.
- Groundwater and Milk River flow
Studies have demonstrated the connectivity of the Milk River to both the Whiskey Valley Aquifer and the Milk River aquifer. Over 350 farms, acreages, even parks are reliant on Water Co-ops that draw from the Milk River and adjacent aquifer for domestic drinking water. Thanks to leadership of the MRWCC and Geological Survey of Canada, we have some of the best transboundary aquifer mapping resources in the world right here in Milk River.
- Water quality of the Milk River is affected by the St Marys River
The MRWCC has been monitoring water quality along the Milk River and many important tributaries for over 10 years. This data has helped form some of the most complete long term trend data sets found in any of the provinces major watersheds. Trends have shown us there are distinct differences in water quality between the Milk River natural flow which is high in salts and influenced by springs/groundwater flows; and St Marys River which is often higher in quality and glacial fed. The Milk River is distinctly two different rivers between the diversion and non-diversion periods.
- Water and agriculture
There are over 93,000 acres of irrigation reliant on the Milk River throughout the highline of Montana, and on average 8600 acres in Alberta. The Milk River is just as valuable to the ranching community with thousands of head of livestock reliant on the Milk River for water sources, rich riparian plains for grazing and refuge.
