Running out of water

[mtmuley]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/14/us/montana-water-milk-river.html Interesting read. I have family up in that country. mtmuley

 

[shoots-straight]

Is this one of those instances where you reap what you sow? Voting against your own best interests? Yes I know Politics again, but it always boils down to what your promoting and voting for.

I will point out that much of the region, in Montana the Milk irrigates, is also Red country that votes to have less Government, less interference, less government hand outs, (unless) and less taxes.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

A sticking point is that a contract was signed in 1922 with the federal government in which the irrigators accepted all costs for operation, maintenance and replacement. “That’s the catch,” said John Tubbs, director of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. “But the federal government knows the irrigators cannot pay for it.”

Gotta wonder why no escrow account was established by the irrigation board.

 

[marshman]

+1 - my thoughts when I read this article also, poor planning on someones part for sure.
Is there a wildlife impact to this? Some habitat reverting back for Sage grouse? $200 million is a lot for farmers to shell out I am guessing.

 

[Irrelevant]

They are certainly not the only irrigators to have the Feds hand them a large irrigation system. But every other one I know of manages to collect enough fees/dues to pay for maintenance and replacement. I agree, reap what you sow, if you can't think of the irrigation system like a car or a house or a tractor, something that requires maintenance, then good luck with that dry land wheat.