ND Water Feature - GDCD News
October 2021 - ND Water Magazine
By Kimberly Cook
The Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP) celebrated a historic milestone in early August when construction crews placed the very first length of pipe in the line that will deliver emergency and supplemental water from the Missouri River in central North Dakota to the Red River Valley in the east. The drought mitigation project is a concerted effort to ensure that public water systems in central and eastern North Dakota have adequate water supplies, especially during periods of moderate and severe drought.
The water also will provide opportunities for industrial development, as a current lack of industrial water supply has driven industries to obtain water through less-desirable means and/or relocation out of North Dakota.
The project’s co-sponsors, Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (Garrison Diversion) and Lake Agassiz Water Authority (LAWA) hosted a celebration at a construction site one mile south of Carrington, N.D., on Highway 281. More than 100 people, including project organizers and lawmakers, gathered to ceremonially sign Garrison Diversion Celebrates Laying of Pipe the 72-inch pipe and witness it placed into the ground.
“Garrison Diversion board members and staff, as well as Lake Agassiz Water Authority board members, have been working toward this for several years. Getting the project to the point of construction is truly worth celebrating,” Garrison Diversion General Manager Duane DeKrey said. Andrea Travnicek, North Dakota Department Water Resources Director; Tim Mahoney,
LAWA chairman/Fargo mayor; Sen. Rich Wardner, Senate Majority Leader; Rep. Jim Schmidt, Water Topics Overview Committee chairman; and Alan Walter, Garrison Diversion Board chairman, were speakers at the ceremony, along with DeKrey.
“As the mayor of Fargo, I’m excited to see the first pipe going into the ground on this drought mitigation project. Our current drought conditions have led to water conservation measures being implemented across the state and underlines the importance of the Red River Valley Water Supply Project,” Mahoney said.