May 2020 ND Water - Garrison Diversion Director Profiles
Kimberly Cook
The Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (Garrison Diversion) board of directors consists of an elected official from each member county of the 28-member district. Directors are elected to serve their county for a four-year term.
The full board meets quarterly, with additional committees meeting at various points throughout each year. A large variety of interests and backgrounds provide a diverse group of individuals, but collectively, they all have the same purpose in mind. The members work to fulfill Garrison Diversion’s mission to provide a reliable, high quality and affordable water supply to benefit the people of North Dakota.
As we continue profiling the directors who comprise the board, we introduce to you Greg Bischoff, Barnes County; Kenny Rogers, Bottineau County; and Roger Fenstad, Cass County.
CASS COUNTY, ROGER FENSTAD
Roger Fenstad, Cass County, was elected to the Garrison Diversion Board in 2011, but his career in the water industry began many years before. Roger began working as a civil engineer with Moore Engineering in 1974, and retired from the company in 2018. He worked almost exclusively for municipalities in Cass County and surrounding areas, recognizing most cities have some type of water issue, whether it be infrastructure, supply or water treatment problems, and worked tirelessly to improve their conditions.
Roger dedicated his career to water development across the state and has seen firsthand the statewide need for quality water supplies. “Water is the backbone for the future growth of our agricultural, commercial and industrial interests in the state,” he says.
He was driven to run for the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District Board because he wanted to be part of a progressive movement to secure the future of North Dakota. Since 2011, Roger has been an active member of the Garrison Diversion Board, supporting the mission to provide a reliable, high-quality and affordable water supply to the people of North Dakota. He has served on the executive committee and is a former chair and current member of the Red River Valley Committee.
Roger has invested countless hours to the Red River Valley Water Supply Project, stating the future of North Dakota lies in the availability of quality drinking water within our state.
“I think the Red River Valley Water Supply Project is extremely important to the state of North Dakota and the water
community. We have an opportunity to serve the state through our mission to provide the people in North Dakota with
quality drinking water and I feel good about that,” says Roger. “I feel good about working on the Red River Valley Water
Supply Project and, better yet, with expanding the project into central North Dakota, where we can serve even more
people with quality water.”
Roger has received several honors over the years, including the ND Chapter of the American Public Works Association
President Service Award, American Council of Engineering Companies of ND Lifetime Achievement Award and the ND
Water Wheel Award.
Roger lives in West Fargo with his wife, Jan. They have four adult children and nine grandchildren. In his spare time,
he enjoys golf, the lake and spending time with the grandchildren.