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FWP and local irrigation district seek $1.43M to upgrade Tongue River diversion and fish bypass channel
Summary
FWP region staff requested $1,430,000 to replace louvers at the Tongue & Yellowstone diversion (CD 60) and to modify the Muggly bypass channel to improve passage for larger migratory species while protecting irrigation infrastructure.
Fish, Wildlife & Parks region staff and local irrigation partners asked the subcommittees to fund a $1,430,000 project to upgrade the Tongue River diversion louvers and modify an existing bypass channel.
Region 7 Fisheries Manager Kenneth Backes described the project (CD 60) as a partnership with the T & Y Irrigation District to replace 28‑year‑old louvers that screen debris and protect canal infrastructure and to retrofit the Muggly bypass channel so it continues to pass multiple species, including larger migratory fish. Backes said the existing louvers are corroding and that the channel’s hydraulics have changed over 17 years of flow: “This is a $1,430,000 request, and we have a typo there where it says it’s 14,300,000,” Backes told the committee, clarifying the correct figure.
Backes said the Muggly bypass — originally effective for many species but not large shovelnose or paddlefish — now needs structural modifications because flows and sedimentation have altered its design effectiveness. The project aims to retain irrigation deliveries while improving fish passage and reducing the number of fish found in irrigated fields.
The T & Y Irrigation District provided a signed support letter and district representatives have prioritized the louver replacement to avoid delivery failures in spring runoff.
Why it matters: The proposal couples habitat/fish conservation goals with irrigation infrastructure reliability in a long‑standing diversion that predates modern fish‑passage standards.
Next steps: FWP will supply the irrigation district’s support materials and follow up as the committee considers appropriations for the agency’s CD 60 request.
