The sun river watershed group located in central montana will develop an overarching water strategy for the watershed working in collaboration with a network of stakeholders representing…

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $265,590 Project Grant under the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) program (CFDA 15.507) to the Sun River Watershed Group (SRWG), a non-profit organization in Great Falls, Montana. The grant will support SRWG's development of an overarching water strategy for the Sun River watershed, working collaboratively with stakeholders representing conservation, agriculture, and ecological interests. The key activities include compiling past watershed plans, reviewing prior project effectiveness, and developing a strategic plan to prioritize future work focused on water conservation, drought mitigation, water quality, and ecosystem restoration. The project aims to ensure a holistic approach to addressing water resource management challenges in the Sun River basin, with committed partners such as irrigation districts, federal and state agencies, and Trout Unlimited. The grant award period runs from October 1, 2024 to October 31, 2026.

The sun river watershed group located in central montana will develop an overarching water strategy for the watershed working in collaboration with a network of stakeholders representing conservation farming and ranching and ecological interests. Numerous prior planning efforts have been completed for the sun river watershed and there is a need for a strategy that prioritizes projects across these efforts in order to ensure a holistic approach. The watershed group will compile past plans review previously completed projects for effectiveness and develop a strategic plan to prioritize future work based on benefits to water conservation drought mitigation water quality and ecosystem resources. Committed partners and stakeholders include greenfields irrigation district fort shaw irrigation district bureau of reclamation bureau of land management montana DEQ montana department of natural resources and montana fish wildlife and parks trout unlimited and others.