Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP) construction wrapped up in mid-November with the most pipe installed in one construction season. Crews from Oscar Renda Contracting, Carstensen Contracting Inc., and Garney Construction were blessed with an exceptionally mild fall without any snowfall until late November.

“Despite receiving 30-inches of rain this year, the contractors prevailed over the wet conditions. Previous experience with groundwater issues allowed the crews to put into practice what we’ve learned over the past couple years,” says Kip Kovar, Deputy Program Manager for RRVWSP Engineering. “This is the most efficient construction season to date, and we saw the most pipe installed since construction began on the 72-inch transmission pipeline.”

Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (Garrison Diversion) and Lake Agassiz Water Authority (LAWA), the co-sponsors of the RRVWSP, are preparing to support the project during North Dakota’s upcoming legislative session which begins on January 7.

Representatives will request $221 million in the Department of Water Resources Budget to fund the 2025-2027 work plan. During the 2023 session, state lawmakers approved legislative intent for the RRVWSP totaling $953 million in future funding.

“We are grateful to the legislature for previously providing legislative intent for the Red River Valley Water Supply Project. Having state support provides peace of mind to the project’s end users. Thank you to legislators for supporting this project to ensure it is constructed in a timely manner,” says Merri Mooridian, Deputy Program Manager of RRVWSP Administration.

For the current 2023-2025 biennium, the RRVWSP received $180 million in the Department of Water Resources Budget. Local users provided $61.5 million and $4.5 million came from the Municipal Rural and Industrial (MR&I) Program. The funding allowed the RRVWSP team to complete the design of the transmission pipeline, bid and award several construction contracts, move construction forward, and provide financial planning and studies for RRVWSP end users. Before the end of the biennium on June 30, engineers will complete the preliminary design of RRVWSP facilities such as the water treatment plant. Eighty percent of the easements needed for the Project have been acquired as of December 2024.

“The construction crews made a lot of progress this year and we’re in a great place with design. We’re hoping to keep the momentum going into 2025 and beyond, with continued funding from the state,” says Duane DeKrey, Garrison Diversion General Manager. 

“The Red River Valley can go from flooding to drought conditions in a matter of months.  We can’t prevent the next drought from happening, but we can be prepared.  With large dollar figures already committed, it is crucially important to get the project completed within the 10-year construction timeframe, to maximize our investment and mitigate the economic effects of moderate and severe drought conditions with this emergency and supplemental water supply,” says Brandon Bochenski, Grand Forks Mayor and LAWA Vice Chair.

This year, Garney Construction completed the pipe installation on Contract 5B east of Carrington. The contractor will return in 2025 to complete land restoration, structure build out, hydrostatic testing, and soil haul off. Oscar Renda made progress on the 5C contract which includes approximately eight miles of pipeline and three major trenchless crossings east of Carrington, in Foster County. Carstensen Contracting Inc. also made progress on the 5D contract which involves 10 miles of pipeline and a trenchless crossing of Pipestem Creek in western Foster County and eastern Wells County. Currently, 18 miles of the 125-mile buried pipeline are in the ground.

In December, Carstensen was awarded Contract 6A for $52,258,500, which is their second contract in the RRVWSP. The contract includes construction of a 7.1 mile transmission pipeline from the James River to Eastman Township in Foster County, as well as two 96-inch diameter trenchless highway crossings and one 96-inch diameter trenchless wetland crossing.

Construction on 6A is scheduled to begin in the spring. The remaining portions of Contracts 5C, 5D and land restoration will resume in 2025, as soon as weather permits. When the RRVWSP transmission pipeline is complete, it will span from the McClusky Canal to the discharge structure, which empties into the Sheyenne River, located about six miles south of Cooperstown. The RRVWSP is projected to serve nearly half of North Dakota’s population, from the central part of the state to the eastern side.