Three Forks Voice: City to receive FEMA Grant

In January 2022, City of Three Forks officials submitted an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a grant to fund 75 percent of the $5.5 million Jefferson River Flood Mitigation Project. After a two-plus-year wait, it was recently announced that the City would receive $4,152,375 in FEMA funding for the project. The project will create a conveyance channel and culvert crossing mitigation option designed to capture overflow flooding from the Jefferson River before reaching the City of Three Forks.

The City of Three Forks had been waiting for the U.S. Fish, Wildlife, & Parks to develop a biological opinion on the project, which is needed for grant approval.

According to an August 23 release from U.S. Senator Jon Tester, the Three Forks project will remove the western portion of the City from Jefferson River floodplains and floodway, and as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he helped secure the funds through the FY21 government funding bill.

“Flooding can be devastating for Montana farmers, ranchers, families, and small businesses, and it’s critical that folks in Three Forks have the resources and infrastructure they need as these disasters become more common,” said Tester. “That’s why I’m proud to have secured funding to make Three Forks a safer place to live, and I’ll keep working to ensure this project is completed swiftly and effectively.”

In October 2022, the City of Three Forks unanimously approved the creation of a Flood Mitigation Special Improvement District (SID) to help gather funds for the project’s construction, maintenance, and incidental costs.

Also in 2022, the Council voted to approve a resolution of intent that selected a per-parcel assessment method that charges a $195 increase to property owners in the SID to fund the remaining 25% of the project cost.

The first per-parcel assessment of $195 was included in the November 2023 Gallatin County Tax Bills.

In April 2023, the Three Forks City Council unanimously voted to apply for a $3 million loan with 2.5 percent interest from the State Revolving Fund. The City will use the SRF funding for the SID and to purchase easements needed for the project.

According to Tester, the project will remove 946 structures from the Jefferson River floodplains, mitigating an estimated $62-96 million in damages to residential structures in the event of a 100-year flood.

“Eight critical facilities will also be removed from the floodplain, including the fire hall, city hall, ambulance barn, medical clinic, pharmacy, the community’s only school, senior center, and food bank. The project also protects six properties on the National Register of Historic Places: The Headwaters Heritage Museum, Airway Radio Station, Ruby Theatre, Sacajawea Hotel, Adams Block, and Three Valleys State Bank. The project will also provide additional water storage for the Three Forks Rural Fire District to help address the risk of wildland fire, hay field fire, and rural home fire,” states the release.

In March 2023, Tester met with Three Forks officials to learn more about the project and explore ways his team could assist with its implementation.

“Anytime you can be proactive as a community, that is really critically smart. Doing the best you can to prepare and minimize the risk can save a lot of money. So, I applaud those efforts,” Tester told the Voice last year.