This is what Dave Koland, general manager of Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, told the audience Thursday morning at the Williston Area Chamber of Commerce Sunny Side Breakfast. The topic at the breakfast was “Managing North Dakota’s Water Resources.”
As the agencies continue to work on projects to pump Missouri River water into various communities, they have to jump over hurdles such as federal aid when it comes to money and resistance from Canada if certain projects may impact the country.
“Canada has been a longtime foe of North Dakota water projects because of the Hudson Bay drainage,” Koland said. For example, the Garrison Conservancy district would like to construct a pipeline to the Sheyenne River to alleviate water shortages, but there’s a lawsuit involving environmental groups from Manitoba.
The judge ruled there needs to be an assessment detailing the environmental impacts of the project, and that’s what’s being done, said Todd Sando, assistant state engineer for the North Dakota State Water Commission. Sheyenne River is a tributary of the Red River. Federal sources have questioned the need for the projects and have asked how much water North Dakotans use. On average, state residents use 119 gallons of water each year, Koland said, a much smaller number than in other states in the nation.
Sando talked about two projects the North Dakota State Water Commission is working on. One is called the Northwest Area Water Supply project that will bring water from Lake Sakakwea to Minot. It’s been under construction for five years and, when completed, will service other communities north of Minot including Kenmare and Mohall, Sando said. It’s important to get water to Minot, he said.
“Minot is using ground water; it’s not sustainable,” Sando said.
The Northwest Area Water Supply plan still needs a pump station, storage tank and intake treatment plant, he said. The Southwest Pipeline is run from Lake Sakakwea to Dickinson, and services 28 communities in the southwestern portion of the state. It has been operational for 17 years and the water commission is getting to the last phase of the project, Sando said.
In the future, the water commission would like to get water to Ray, Tioga and Stanley, and has been working with water departments in those communities, Sando said.
Although distribution of water is the main concern, quantity of water”or lack there of, in some cases”is an issue as well. For example, the Red River has a history of going dry. In the 1930s, it was dry for about a decade, said Koland. This explains the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District’s desire to create a way to get water from the Sheyenne River.
The Red River Valley region’s only backup supply is the storage capacity in Lake Ashtabula, which has about a year’s supply, Koland said.
“In a multi-drought year, there is not enough water to meet today’s demands,” he said, adding the valley can handle a two-year drought, but not much more. This is worrisome considering past droughts in the North Dakota area have lasted 50-100 years, according to data Koland provided on a PowerPoint presentation.
“We’re trying to make sure North Dakota has enough water,” he said.
The presentation also included discussion of state aquifers, the Municipal Rural and Industrial Water Supply, and the fact North Dakota is currently in its ninth year of a drought.
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