The Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP), a supplemental water supply project that will benefit half the population of North Dakota, is attracting national attention. Organizers of prominent national water conferences are reaching out to the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (Garrison Diversion), the state sponsor of the RRVWSP, to request presentations about the drought mitigation project.
On a national level, Duane DeKrey, Garrison Diversion General Manager, has presented at the Blueprint 2025 2X Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., and the National Rural Water Association’s Environmental Finance Center Forum in Casper, Wyoming.
According to CG/LA Infrastructure, a Washington, D.C., based consulting firm, the RRVWSP is recognized as one of the top 50 strategic infrastructure projects in the U.S., a designation that earned DeKrey the invitation to speak at the Blueprint 2025 2X Leadership Forum. The conference focused on educating public and private sector attendees from around the world about innovative American projects.
“Drought has been a problem in North Dakota, and it will continue to be a long-term threat here and across the U.S. There is great national interest right now in finding creative, cost-effective drought solutions. I’m happy to share information about the Red River Valley Water Supply Project to help others who also face drought concerns,” says DeKrey.
At the National Rural Water Association forum, DeKrey shared information about how the RRVWSP is being funded. So far, 35 cities and rural water systems are committed to help fund the development portion of the project, which includes conceptual engineering, phased preliminary engineering, and financial modeling. The project is also slated to receive up to $30 million from the North Dakota State Water Commission’s budget for the 2017-2019 biennium. Of the $30 million grant, $17 million will be directed towards planning and permitting, while the remaining $13 million is to initiate construction.
“The Red River Valley Water Supply Project will not only provide drought relief, it will also open up industrial development opportunities. Our community and water system partners recognize the opportunities this project will create, and they chose to invest in it to safeguard their future,” says DeKrey. “We are thankful to be in North Dakota where our Legislature recognizes the importance of funding water projects. Projects in other states may not receive that type of support from lawmakers.”
Currently, the RRVWSP engineering team is wrapping up the project’s preliminary design. The goal is to begin phased bidding and construction of the RRVWSP in 2019.
Duane DeKrey, Presenting at the Blueprint 2025 2X Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C.