Jamestown Sun - Garrison Diversion Approves Water Assistance Grant Program

Garrison Diversion Conservancy District approves Water Assistance Grant Program

The Garrison Diversion Conservancy District’s Board of Directors has approved a new grant program to benefit additional water users across the district.

The Water Assistance Grant Program will provide funding assistance to offset the costs of new customer hookups to a rural water system or district. The grant program will also aid municipal water systems or districts with extraordinary OM&R projects that will impact the delivery of water to users, introduce health and safety issues, or bring potential harm to other infrastructure if not repaired.

Eligibility requirements state the applicant must reside within one of Garrison Diversion’s 28 member counties, must be or have a member sponsor that is a political subdivision (municipality or rural water district), and a municipality must have a population of 5,000 people or less that are being served.

“This program was designed to put dollars back into our member counties and to assist with water supplies within the district,” says Geneva Kaiser, chairperson of the MR&I Committee. “The Water Assistance Grant Program supports our mission to provide reliable and high quality water supplies to North Dakotans.”

Garrison Diversion also received input from the North Dakota League of Cities and the North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association when developing the program to better understand the needs present. “We know there is a need across the state for a program like this,” said Eric Volk, executive director of the North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association. “We receive a lot of inquiries from customers wondering what kind of help is available to bring better water supplies to their new or existing homes.”

“Kudos to Garrison Diversion for realizing there is an unmet need and for taking the initiative to help,” said Blake Crosby, executive director of the North Dakota League of Cities. “Providing funding opportunities to assist smaller communities with water emergencies is going to be a benefit to many systems.”

The deadline to apply for 2021 funding to assist with new customer hookups is May 15. There is no deadline on extraordinary OM&R projects, as these will occur on an as-needed basis. Grant guidelines and applications can be found on Garrison Diversion’s website, www.garrisondiversion.org/programs/municipal_rural_and_industrial_grants/WaterAssistanceGrantProgram.com. 

For additional information or questions related to the Water Assistance Grant Program, contact Garrison Diversion at 701-652-3194.