Operations and maintenance (O&M) workers on staff are the heart of the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (Garrison Diversion) team, working on a multitude of projects big and small. In 2018, the crew persevered to
complete a host of jobs that included basic maintenance and specialized projects. In mid-summer, the team lost coworker
and dear friend of the O&M staff, Jerry Kellar, to a tragic accident, yet pulled together and continued doing the good work for which they are known.
Garrison Diversion maintains O&M employees at four locations – Carrington, New Rockford, Oakes, and McClusky – who perform maintenance on the existingGarrison Diversion Unit (GDU) facilities through a cooperative agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). The GDU facilities include the McClusky Canal, New Rockford Canal and Oakes Test Area. The purpose of these features varies from supplying water for irrigators to sustaining recreation areas and wildlife management locations. Additional facilities associated with the GDU, such as the Snake Creek Pumping Plant, Jamestown Reservoir, Lonetree Wildlife Management Area, and Arrowwood and Audubon National Wildlife Refuges, receive Garrison Diversion’s O&M assistance when requested.
March 2019 ND Water article - Garrison Diversion Operations and Maintenance In Review