St. Mary Siphon Fails, Area Now Closed to Public

• Despite the winter season, progress continues on the repair and replacement at St. Mary in Montana
• Siphon inlets and piping have been laid according to the Milk River Project
• No dates have been announced as to when construction may wrap, and the area opened to the public again

In June of 2024, the St. Mary Canal suffered catastrophic failure of the inlet and siphon tubes.  Since that time, construction repairs have been ongoing, despite the winter season in Montana.

To wrap up February, the Milk River Project announced that progress at the site has been steady.  Projects as of now that are happening include:

• placing the girders for the St. Mary Siphon Bridge
• preparing to set grade and lay pipe back to the bridge
• backfilling, and reviving the surrounding roads and landscapes.

Construction is also gearing up to pour a major section of the siphon inlet.  According to the project team:

The first pour lift will form the bottom perimeter section, reaching 16 feet high. This phase alone will require approximately 400 cubic yards of concrete and 118,000 pounds of rebar

Other interesting facts about the site include:

a total of 114 joints have been welded to date. With each weld covering 180 linear feet and requiring 40 pounds of welding rod, this amounts to approximately 20,520 linear feet of weld passes—nearly 3.9 miles—and a total of 4,560 pounds of welding rod used

You can read more about the St. Mary Siphon below. 👇

St. Mary Siphon Fails, Area Now Closed to Public

In an announcement this morning via social media, the Milk River Project stated that the St. Mary Siphon, part of the St. Mary Canal, has suffered a "catastrophic failure at the inlet of both siphon tubes. The powerful water flow caused the 100+ year-old siphons to break apart, washing away the concrete structures holding the pipes underneath."  The area is located near Babb, MT.

The St. Mary Diversion Dam and Canal were completed in 1915 and the Bureau of Land Management has stated that "much of the dams existing structural components are dilapidated and in need of replacement."

Two Failures Within Hours Of Each Other Create Problems for Everyone

In the release, the Milk River project said "This morning (6.17.2024 around 9:00 a.m.), the St. Mary siphon on the St. Mary Canal outside of Babb, MT, suffered a catastrophic failure while Reclamation personnel were monitoring a crack. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the damage is extensive."

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Area Near Babb, MT To Remain Closed into Next Week

For safety reasons, the area has been closed off by orders of the Blackfeet Nation/Blackfeet Tribal Business Council.  In a separate post via social media, they stated that:

"THE ST. MARY CANAL/MILK RIVER IN BABB, MT - IS CLOSED TO ALL RIVER ACTIVITIES, NO FLOATING, BOATING/RAFTING, SWIMMING, ETC. FOR THE WEEK OF MONDAY JUNE 17, 2024, TO MONDAY JUNE 24, 2024. FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE STAY OUT OF THE AREA. ROAD CLOSURE TO CAMP 9 ROAD (HOOKS HIDEAWAY) ALL ROADS ARE CLOSED IN THESE AREAS. EMERCENGY PERSONNEL ONLY. UPDATES WILL BE POSTED AT A LATER DATE. THANK YOU"