Montana canal siphon splits open, flooding area and threatening local farming industry

BABB, Mont. — Montana state officials were scurrying Tuesday to stop flooding caused by the breakage of a century-old pipe used to deliver drinking water to 14,000 residents and carry irrigation water to farms.

The breach in the St. Mary Canal siphon, which serves 120,000 acres of irrigated land, happened one month before a $100 million replacement project was set to begin and during the peak irrigation season when demand for diverted water is at its highest. Local officials with the Milk River Project, the organization set to oversee the replacement project, labeled the breach a “catastrophic failure,” which could result in an economic disaster for north-central Montana.

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