Belgrade News: Tester: Three Forks floodplain project getting $4.15M from FEMA

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, said Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is putting more than $4.15 million toward the Three Forks Confluence Project.

The infrastructure program removes western parts of Three Forks from the Jefferson Rivet floodplains, according to Tester’s office.

Tester secured the FEMA money via a federal spending bill,, according to his office.

“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 in a statement. “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.”

The senator’s office also gave a rundown of what the Three Forks project entails.

“The Three Forks Confluence Project will remove 946 structures from the Jefferson River floodplains, mitigating an estimated $62 to 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.”

Tester is up for reelection this year and faces a tough challenge from Republican Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and founder of Belgrade-based Bridger Aerospace.