Letters to the Editor

Editor's Note: The following is a letter sent to the Army Corps of Engineers from Congressman Greg Gianforte. This is being reproduced here as it was alluded to in an article involving a similar letter sent by Jon Tester's office to the Corps pertaining to the same issue. This letter was provided as a courtsy from Mayor Becky Erickson.

Dear Lt. General Semonite:

Thank you for your service to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE). I am writing you today on behalf of the City of Glasgow, Montana, which is respectfully asking for an extension on their current Levee deadline of 2021 to 2025.

In 1911, construction of Montana’s oldest federally constructed levy system began in Glasgow. Much of this Levee crosses private property and because of the deficiencies and encroachments the USACE categorized the Glasgow Levee as ‘inactive’ in 2011.

Because of declared deficiencies and encroachments, the city officials of Glasgow have worked tirelessly trying to bring this century-old levy into active status. The City of Glasgow has commissioned and completed, at its own expense, a System Wide Improvements Framework (SWIF) and accompanying Feasibility and Risk Management Study to bring the aging Levee into compliance with the USACE PL 64-99 program.

With a deadline of 2021 coming, the City of Glasgow is in need of either leniency or financial support from USACE in order to meet the Feasibility and Risk Management Study’s three recommended steps to address USACE’s concerns with the Glasgow Levee. These steps include:

Establishing a buffer zone for the Levee through acquiring private property at fair market value.

Establishing a buffer zone by realigning a portion of the Levee by adding on to the Milk River side of the existing Levee.

Establishing a buffer zone for the Levee by legally recording easements along property owned by Valley County.

I respectfully request that USACE work collaboratively with the City of Glasgow to potentially extend the deadline to 2025.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Greg Gianforte

Member of Congress