Waterman

Eastern Montana is a land of extremes. The mercury can swing from 50 degrees below zero in the winter to over 100 in the summer. A recent drought has made life even harder on people relying on water for their livelihood – and on people like Roger Muggli, who runs the Tongue and Yellowstone Irrigation District near Miles City, Montana. Muggli's job, in part, is to determine how much water will be diverted out of the Tongue River into a separate canal which farmers, ranchers and homeowners use to irrigate their land. Roger is the third generation Muggli to run the irrigation district. His grandfather took over managing the T & Y district in 1934 – but neither his grandfather nor his father faced the kind of challenges Roger is forced to confront. Produced in 2007; this description is from the original broadcast.