Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Speakers at the groundbreaking event ceremoniously signed the pipe before it was lowered into the trench. From left to right - Rep. Jim Schmidt; Sen. Rich Wardner; Tim Mahoney, LAWA Chairman; Andrea Travnicek, Director of the Department of Water Resources; Lt. Governor Brent Sanford; Alan Walter, Garrison Diversion Chairman; Duane DeKrey, General Manager of Garrison Diversion.
The RRVWSP will use a buried pipeline to carry water from the Missouri River along Highway 200 to the Sheyenne River, which will provide an emergency water supply to users in central and eastern North Dakota.
Drone imagery from the groundbreaking event
Tuesday, construction crews placed the very first length of pipe that will deliver emergency and supplemental water from the Missouri River in central North Dakota to the Red River Valley in the east. The Red River Valley Water Supply Project is a drought mitigation project that's more than 20 years in the making.
At a construction site one mile south of Carrington on Highway 281, project organizers and lawmakers gathered Tuesday to ceremonially sign the 72" pipe and witness it being placed into the ground. When completed, the buried pipeline will stretch approximately 165 miles, beginning near Washburn and delivering water east along the Highway 200 corridor to cities and rural water systems, with the water ultimately reaching Grand Forks and Fargo.
Benefitting nearly 50 percent of North Dakota's population when it is completed, project water can be utilized for industrial development and municipal use.
The project's co-sponsors, Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (Garrison Diversion) and Lake Agassiz Water Authority (LAWA) hosted the celebration at a construction site in the middle of a drought-parched field. According to the North Dakota Drought Monitor, all of North Dakota is currently experiencing moderate, severe, or extreme drought conditions. The effects of the current drought were mentioned by speakers throughout the event.
"We don't know how long the current drought conditions will last. People could walk across the Red River during the 1930s Dust Bowl. When the Red River Valley Water Supply Project is constructed, participating cities and rural water systems along the pipeline will have a safeguard during droughts like the one we're experiencing right now and even worse droughts," says Duane DeKrey, Garrison Diversion General Manager.
"It is fantastic to see the results of decades of planning come to fruition. I thank all of the proactive minds who played a part in making the Red River Valley Water Supply Project possible. The project will protect the people of the Red River Valley from the impact of prolonged and otherwise devastating drought. This multi-generational infrastructure is a massive leap forward for both regional climate resiliency and economic security," said Dr. Tim Mahoney, LAWA Chairman and Fargo Mayor.
"Water is the lifeblood. I look over at those serving on Garrison Conservancy District. You had a vision. You stayed the course. You never quit believing. I appreciate that," concluded Sen. Rich Wardner, N.D. Senate Majority Leader.
The Red River Valley Water Supply Project has a 10-year build plan. To learn more about the project, visit http://www.RRVWSP.com.
