The Red River Valley Water Supply Project’s (RRVWSP) engineering team recently passed a major milestone – the preliminary design of the RRVWSP is complete. “The completion of the preliminary design is a critical step for Garrison Diversion and Lake Agassiz Water Authority as the co-sponsors of the RRVWSP. This marks the completion of a number of mission-critical tasks, including identifying the project demands and design flow; finalization of the pipeline alignment – both horizontal and vertical; and securing land access,” explains Kip Kovar, Deputy Program Manager for RRVWSP Engineering.
In addition to meeting the requirements laid out in the legislation for the current biennium, the completion of the preliminary design means the systems and logistical tools that are necessary to manage construction on a water project of this magnitude are ready to be implemented.
Completion of the preliminary design also allows for the updated overall project costs to be used in financial models. There are 35 communities and water systems involved with the development phase of the RRVWSP.
“Completing the preliminary design and all of the progress associated with its completion are absolutely the key to the Red River Valley Water Supply’s stakeholders being well positioned to successfully engage with the North Dakota Legislature in the upcoming session. We need to secure the financial mechanisms and commitments that will enable construction to begin and the project become a reality within a reasonable timeframe,” says Duane DeKrey, Garrison Diversion General Manager.
The next steps for the RRVWSP include finalizing the financial plan, acquiring easements, and completing the final designs of the pipeline, discharge structure, and intake.