St. Mary Diversion Dam

When a siphon blew out on the St. Mary Canal last month the link between thousands of Montanans and an important water source was broken. Estimates from government officials and irrigators say there's enough water to get the Hi-line through the short term. But farmers fear an economic disaster for the region if a fix doesn't come next year .

The St Mary Canal that diverts water used by thousands of people in northern Montana suffered a catastrophic failure

A federal magistrate judge in Montana has dismissed a lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation that alleged an irrigation project in northwest Montana harms threatened bull trout.