Garrison Diversion staff discuss water supply with Congressional Delegation

Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (Garrison Diversion) General Manager, Duane DeKrey, and General Manager, Merri Mooridian, traveled with the Directors from Eddy, Grand Forks, Ransom and Ward counties to Washington D.C. to meet with the North Dakota congressional delegation. The group met with Senators John Hoeven and Heidi Heitkamp, as well as Representative Kevin Cramer’s staff to discuss the ongoing importance of the Municipal, Rural and Industrial (MR&I) Water Supply Program.

“MR&I funding is very important to Garrison Diversion because it funds projects that deliver drinking water to homes, businesses, farms, and Tribes across the state. This is an important source of funding for water projects in North Dakota. We hope that it is ultimately included in the budget,” says DeKrey.

Garrison Diversion helps bring North Dakota communities a high-quality, reliable water source using federal MR&I funds. To date, more than $339 million in MR&I funding has been awarded for water system expansions and improvements through Garrison Diversion. Some of the projects that have benefited from MR&I funding include the Southwest Pipeline Project, Southeast Water Users District, All Seasons Rural Water, South Central Regional Water District, North Central Regional Water District, Cass Rural Water Users District, Northeast Rural Water District and the Northwest Area Water Supply. There is currently no MR&I funding in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2019.

While in D.C. The Garrison Diversion group also attended the National Water Resources Association’s (NWRA) Federal Water Issues Conference. The annual event focused on Members of Congress and federal agency leaders’ 2018 priorities, such as infrastructure and the federal budget. “The NWRA conference is a great opportunity to learn more about federal priorities, update the congressional delegation about our current projects such as the Red River Valley Water Supply Project and hear about other states’ priorities and our common goals,” says Mooridian.

The Red River Valley Supply Project is a supplemental water supply project designed to deliver Missouri River water to central and eastern North Dakota during times of drought. It will transport water from the Missouri River near Washburn to the Sheyenne River just north of Lake Ashtabula through 165 miles of buried pipeline. Currently, 35 communities and water systems are involved in this project. When it is complete, this project will benefit about half the population of North Dakota.