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10 Ag Roundup August 2012
LYIP Crew Restores Main Canal
Water pours out of the main canal through the 40 foot washout that occurred south of Savage at the end of June.
By Lois Kerr
Most readers know that the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation
Project's (LYIP) main canal suffered a 45 foot wide
washout in late June near the Marlow Iversen farm south of
Savage. Readers also know that this washout disrupted irrigation
for many farms during the time span it took for crews
to repair the blowout, refill the canal, reprime the laterals,
and reschedule water deliveries.
What many readers may not realize, however, concerns
the hard work, long hours, and dedication to restoring water
delivery as quickly as possible that the entire LYIP staff
displayed during this time.
The main canal washout occurred at approximately 4:30
am on Thursday, June 28. Water master Don Mastvelten
arrived on the scene within minutes of receiving a call from
the Sheriff's department that water was running over the
road on County Road 104. Mastvelten immediately called
ditch rider Pat Micheletto and had him shut down the gates
at Intake. Micheletto and Mastvelten then opened spillways
between Intake and the main canal break and shut off the
Savage and Thomas Point pumps to drain the canal as
quickly as possible. Because of the large quantity of water
stored in the main canal, it took hours for the break site to
drain sufficiently so that work on repairs could begin. While
waiting for the water to subside and for the area to dry sufficiently
to support heavy equipment, LYIP foreman Bill
Hamburg organized operators and crews to move the dozer,
track hoe, and compactor to the site and ready the gravel
trucks for action.
LYIP received many offers of assistance during this
waiting period, a fact that LYIP Manager James Brower
greatly appreciates. "In the time it took to shut off Intake
and for the canal to drain, what began as a 20 foot washout
eroded to become a 45 foot washout," he comments. "The
County phoned and volunteered the use of their large sheep's
foot compactor, and delivered it on site for us. Utilities responded
quickly and located lines for us, and many farmers
and local businesses offered use of equipment. I truly
appreciate the offers of help and the way that the community
joined together to offer assistance."
Work began with the excavation of spoiled material that
made up the original bank. Using the track hoe, operators
removed 20 to 25 feet of bank on both sides of the washout
to reach stable, solid bank. Crews then began the lengthy
process of hauling rock from the Fisher pit, and using the
hauled material to reshape and slope a new bank and to
key this new material into the solid ends of the washout. An
operator on the dozer spread each load as it arrived and the
compactor operator drove back and forth on site to pack
this new material into a solid, sturdy bank.
The crew worked until 9 pm on Thursday the 28th, went
home filthy with dust and grime, and tired to the bone. They