How the Montana Congressional Delegation Worked to Support the Drop 5 Reconstruction
When drop 5 on the St. Mary Unit of the Milk River Project failed in May 2020, a large group of stakeholders, including the Milk River Joint Board of Control (MRJBOC), the Bureau of Reclamation, and the State of Montana came together to address the problem and repair the structure. Montana’s delegation to Congress— Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester and Congressman Greg Gianforte—also played a key role in coordinating efforts and pushing forward legislation to address the situation. In this interview, we speak with Senators Daines and Tester and Congressman Gianforte, who was recently elected governor of Montana, about their involvement in the drop 5 reconstruction and their legislative…
Jennifer Patrick and Marko Manoukian: Successful Emergency Repairs on the Milk River Project
On May 17, 2020, a drop structure on the Milk River Project, which conveys water to the Milk River in Montana’s Hi-Line Region, failed catastrophically, eliminating or significantly reducing irrigation water flows across the Milk River basin. The Milk River Joint Board of Control (MRJBOC), the State of Montana, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other stakeholders immediately sprang into action, assessing the site, modifying existing plans, and beginning construction in August. By early October, water was flowing through the project’s infrastructure once again. In this interview, MRJBOC Program Manager Jennifer Patrick and Marko Manoukian, the Montana State University extension agent in Phillips County and the local chairperson for the St.…
How Assura Software Can Increase Data Security, Reduce Risk, and Help Maintain Social Distancing
Assura Software, based in Christchurch, New Zealand, aims to help businesses automate their everyday manual processes. Its software platform combines the configurability of a bespoke solution with the ease and assurance of an off-the-shelf product. In this interview, Hamish Howard, Assura’s CEO and managing director, speaks with Irrigation Leader about how the company’s solution can increase data security, reduce injuries, and help maintain social distance in the workplace.
Know CPR’s Informative and Inexpensive CPR Training
Don Sussman founded the company Know CPR after participating in a CPR course he found to be overly expensive and ineffective in imparting the knowledge and skills that can be essential to saving the life of a family member, friend, colleague, or even a stranger. Some 20 years later, Know CPR is successfully providing CPR, automated external defibrillator (AED), and first aid skills to people around the nation in an informative and affordable manner. In this interview, Mr. Sussman tells Irrigation Leader about his company’s services and how it is successfully adapting to remote classes in the COVID19 era.
How Irrigation Districts Can Improve Security Practices in Every Field
Phil Ball is a longtime police officer and the founder and lead instructor of the Situational Awareness Institute (SAI), a security training company. In this interview, Mr. Ball covers the many facets of security preparation that irrigation districts should carry out, including crisis communication training, the installation of security cameras and panic buttons, the preparation of emergency plans, and the establishment of relationships with local fire and law enforcement agencies.
Dean Edson of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts: Recovering From an Arson Attack
The Nebraska Association of Resources Districts (NARD) is the trade association that represents Nebraska’s 23 natural resources districts (NRDs), local agencies that handle water quantity and quality issues, soil-erosion control, flood prevention, and other environmental concerns across the state. On the night of Saturday, May 30, 2020, the NARD’s Lincoln, Nebraska, headquarters were destroyed by arsonists, resulting in approximately a quarter million dollars’ worth of personal property damage. In this interview, NARD Executive Director Dean Edson tells Irrigation Leader about how the organization is recovering from this event and the lessons it holds for other agencies.
Four Legislative Champions of the Odessa Groundwater Replacement Project
The mighty Columbia Basin Project (CBP) is a Reclamation project that dates back to the 1940s and provides Columbia River water to 671,000 acres in east-central Washington State. Some may be unaware, however, that while the entire CBP was authorized by Congress, only three quarters of it have been completed. The delay in the completion of the CBP is now creating serious problems for central Washington irrigators and communities. Most significantly, farmers in the Odessa, Washington, region received permits from the Washington Department of Ecology to drill deep wells on the understanding that a canal would eventually be built to bring CBP water to the land. However, that did not…
Aither: Bringing Australia’s Water Management Expertise to Users Worldwide
The Millennium Drought of the early 2000s in Australia led to fundamental reforms in water management in the country, including the establishment of a National Water Commission and the expansion of water markets. Water markets allow users to buy and sell water rights at market-determined prices, which helps to balance consumptive and environmental demand and to reveal the value that different users place on water. In 2012, the consultancy Aither was founded to provide water resources– related economics, policy, and management advice informed by the Australian experience. Aither has plans to expand operations to the United States in the near future. In this interview, Will Fargher, a founding director of…
HydroSide Systems: Using Water Power to Make Traveling Irrigation Systems Autonomous
HydroSide Systems has developed an innovative and award-winning technology for moving wheel lines, traveling guns, boom systems, and other traveling irrigation units. It aims to replace labor-intensive movers with a water-powered hydroelectric system, making irrigation units self-powered and autonomous. In this interview, HydroSide Founder and CEO Dana Mohr tells Irrigation Leader about how the company’s technology works and the benefits it can bring to irrigators.
Semitropic Water Storage District’s New Well Telemetry Project By Jan Boling
Where there is water, people thrive. Many consider it their lifeblood—especially in the agricultural region of central California. They count on there being water to drink; to feed their crops; for recreational use; and, to put it in general terms; to enable their existence! With the ongoing battle between agriculture and environmentalists—especially during drought years—monitoring the use of this precious commodity has become a top-of-mind issue.
