Red River Valley Water Supply Project

BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
A pipeline running from Washburn through central and eastern North Dakota will provide water to approximately half of all state residents.

With a tentative plan to start construction by 2019, the Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP) would transport water from the Missouri River to areas of North Dakota that often face extreme water shortages and droughts.

The exact route of the pipeline has yet to be determined, but it is expected to start in southern McLean County.

“The RRVWSP will use a buried water pipeline to carry water from the Missouri River near the Washburn area along Highway 200 to the Baldhill Creek or Sheyenne River,” Garrison Diversion Communications Director Kimberly Cook said.

Cook said meetings were held throughout 2016 and as of mid-November, 35 cities and water districts had pledged to fund and take part in the project. Among those partaking in the project is the McLean-Sheridan Rural Water district, which operates out of Turtle Lake.