Irrigation in the Bitterroot Tour

Bitter Root Water Forum

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September 16, 2021

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Bitter Root Irrigation District

Topic: BRID Process and Management

Presenter: John Crowley; Manager

Frequently Asked Questions:

What does acre-feet mean?
Roughly 1 foot of water across a football field without the end-zones.
What does cfs mean?
Cubic feet per second; flow measurement.
How long is the main canal?
About 72 miles long with approximately 146 open ditches that use gravity-flow.
How big is BRID?
Its the largest irrigation district in the valley per irrigated acres, terminating in the Eagle Watch area.
How long is the BRID season?
It starts in mid to late April and usually ends near Labor Day, but the specific season length depends on snowpack.
How do the water rights work for BRID ditches?
BRID owns all of the water rights of the water, and users pay for the use of their allocated water that is attached to the parcel of land. BRID has a service area of 16,665 acres that they cannot deviate from.
What should you do if you're unsure if you have a water right on your property?
Contact BRID or other irrigation districts in the area.

Topic: Diversion Process and History

Presenter: Rhonda King; Office Manager

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the water season for Daly Ditches?
Typically, it is May 1st through the third week of September, after which they start their shutdown process to assist fish in returning to the streams.
What are the water sources for Daly Ditches?
Their main source is the Bitterroot River, which feeds their two largest canals - the Hedge and Republican Ditches.
What does Daly Ditches do to lessen their ditches' impact on fish?
Daly Ditches have fish screens on five of their main canals. At the end of the season water is turned off in a stepped approach to give fish time to return to creeks or the river.

Topic: Paddle-wheel driven vertical flat plate fish screens

Presenter: Leslie Nyce; MTFWP Fisheries Technician

Additional Information:

How It Works: For this particular type of fish screen - a Paddle-wheel driven vertical flat plate fish screen - water comes into the headgate, and the flat screens on either side of the creek have small holes that allow water but not fish to enter. The paddle-wheel is powered by the water, and brushes move down the screens to remove debris and guide fish, which go through the bypass pipe back into the stream.
During high water flow, debris can clog the screen, and the back panel is pulled until high flow ends to prevent issues with the screen.
Like other large structures, fish screens can be potential safety hazards, and people should be cautious when near them.
Establishing and maintaining the screens require funding and collaboration, while providing an important service to our streams.

Topic: Irrigation Water Usage and Soil Types

Presenter: Alan Maki; Owner

Frequently Asked Questions:

Where does irrigation water come from?
Water for different parcels can vary. Some have water associated with an irrigation district like BRID or Daly Ditches, others have water rights (deeded water) off of streams or the river.
What irrigation methods are best?
There are pros and cons to all irrigation methods. Factors like cost, topography, soil type, historical methods, and more need to be taken into consideration.

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