FIIP board votes to raise water prices by 50 cents
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ST. IGNATIUS — The Flathead Indian Irrigation Project Board voted 4-3 with one absent last Thursday, to raise rates by 50 cents to $26 per acre for the 2012 irrigation season. Last year the board voted to increase the rate by $2.
“Last year when we raised the rates we didn’t have enough funding to get some work done. The price had been the same for three years while the price of materials and fuel had risen nine percent,” Project Manager Gordon Wind said. “The rate increase now is essentially because of an energy and fuel price increase.”
Board member Lloyd Irvine voted for the increase but suggested to Wind that a prior meeting to the vote be held to answer any questions from the water users.
“I would like to explain before we bring it to the table,” Irvine said. “This way I can explain this is why I voted the way that I did.”
“We need to better communicate with who we are serving,” Chairman Ron Trahan said. “They may not like it but they’ll understand why there was an increase. We do need to keep what we started going.”
Camas Resident Ted Hein was in attendance at the meeting and he was not thrilled with paying an extra 50 cents on his property.
“Last year I walked out feeling better,” Hein said of last year’s meeting. “I’m not happy now. Enough is enough.”
“It’s difficult for landowners to endure another price increase,” Wind said. “We are trying to maintain a level of operation to perform a good job.”
Other activities at the meeting included scheduling a time for stock water to be stopped. Oct 17th will be the last day for stock water.
Wind also reported on several maintenance and repairs done and some that need to be addressed.
Rodent activity caused a canal failure on Camas A canal and had crews busy for a couple of days. An old corroded metal pipe at the Pablo feeder canal needs to be replaced.
Wind was also concerned with the Kicking Horse outlet canal structure between Kicking Horse reservoir and Nine Pipes reservoir. It is a structure that conveys water from the higher elevation to the lower without eroding the land.
“It is critical to have (outlet structure) in place to hold the water at a certain level to deliver water to the canal without having a severe erosion problem,” Wind said and estimated a replacement would cost around $50,000.
After two months of high water flow from the Jocko River, erosion is also a problem on the Lower S Canal.
Crews are still tackling the job of cleaning ditches and patching holes.
“That’s a big job and it’s going to keep crews busy for another six weeks to two months,” Wind said.
