Federal act could provide irrigation funding

As a Flathead and Mission landowner of irrigated lands, I became very interested upon hearing about a Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nations Act of 2016 (WIIN Act). I personally attended the public meeting held on Feb. 22 in Portland, Ore. I was further pleased to see the presence of our Flathead Irrigation Project Manager Pete Plant. Mr. Plant carried a letter of support for the WIIN Act as requested by the Flathead Joint Board of Control (FJBC), in hopes of beneficial funding to repair existing Irrigation Project deferred maintenance impacts.

The WIIN Act was signed into national law on Dec. 16, 2016, however, with zero funding. At best, some funding for renovation of Irrigation Project deferred maintenance could happen in 2019, if ever. The public was informed that 17 national Irrigation Projects qualify. The qualifications are straightforward: the irrigation project must be owned by the federal government, currently managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and have BIA documented evidence of deferred maintenance. The annual funding is $35 million dollars, up to $175 million dollars total plus investment interest, if any, over a five year period. The potential funding is a “use it or lose it” proposition. The fund will expire on Dec. 17, 2021.

The BIA will direct the disbursements of funding based on the following criteria: analysis of the highest rate of benefit to cost ratio of deferred maintenance repair and subject to specific Irrigation Project qualifications with defined maximum funding caps. The WIIN Act is a beneficial law for the entire Nation, whereas the Irrigation Project represents a meaningful fraction. It is, however, premature to get too excited until U.S. Congress approves funding through the Secretary of the Treasury, which cannot happen until as early as 2019.

– David Passieri, St. Ignatius