ND Water April 2022 - Darren Murray - O&M Superintendent
As a multi-purpose project, Garrison Diversion aims to provide opportunities for industry, water supply, agriculture, recreation and development of our natural resources. Our mission is to provide a reliable, high-quality and affordable water supply to benefit the people of North Dakota. Approximately 30 employees are located at offices in Carrington, New Rockford, McClusky and the Snake Creek Pumping Plant in Coleharbor.
Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Superintendent Darren Murray is stationed at the McClusky office, overseeing nearly 20 O&M employees at Garrison Diversion’s McClusky, New Rockford and Snake Creek Pumping Plant offices. He is responsible for keeping various projects moving forward, lining up the staff for different jobs depending on the weather and working with the Bureau of Reclamation to figure out what kind of projects will be coming up for the next season.
He’s come a long way from his early days at Garrison Diversion. Murray started as a maintenance worker in 1996. He jokingly says he was essentially “a weed eater with a CDL.” However, as a jack-of-all-trades, Murray quickly became a valuable team member with his extensive knowledge of heavy machinery operations, carpentry, concrete and automotive skills.
After a few years on the job, Murray successfully completed the NACE International Coatings Inspector Training and Certification course. In those years, all of the Garrison Diversion Unit facilities needed extensive work, particularly painting and coating maintenance. In short order, his area of expertise became paintings and coatings.
Murray believes in doing the best job you can in any situation. “If you’re going to do something, do it right,” he says. He’s proud of the work he does, saying, “I’m always happy to be asked about what’s going on with the McClusky Canal and being able to explain the opportunities it provides.”
Murray and his wife, Kelly, live in Mercer. They have two grandchildren they are lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time with. In his spare time, Murray can be found working in his shop, restoring old cars, fishing or road-tripping around the U.S.