05.09.18

Hoeven: Bureau of Reclamation Investing $29.2 Million in North Dakota Water Infrastructure

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has allocated $29.2 million in total Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 funding for water infrastructure projects in North Dakota. The funds will be used for the following projects:

  • Northwest Area Water Supply (NAWS) project – Funds will be allocated to improve upgrade the Minot Water Treatment Plant and planning for a water treatment plant near Max.
  • Three Affiliated Tribes, Twin Buttes Water Treatment Plant – Funds will be used to improve the water treatment plant in New Town.
  • Southwest Pipeline Project – Funds will be used to improve the Dickinson Water Treatment Plant.

“More than 100,000 North Dakotans depend on the Northwest Area Water Supply project for reliable and clean water,” Hoeven said. “Today’s investment by the Bureau of Reclamation will help advance this vital infrastructure project for northwest North Dakota. Today’s funding will also bolster water infrastructure for MHA Nation and the Dickinson area, ensuring that these communities have access to reliable and clean water which will help improve quality of life.”

Construction of the NAWS project began during Hoeven’s time as governor, and Hoeven has been working as senator to advance the project, recently meeting with Andrea Travnicek, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science for the Department of the Interior, to discuss the project. The senator has also supported the state’s efforts to address legal hurdles and pressed Reclamation and the Environmental Protection Agency to agree on a water treatment plan as well as urged Reclamation to advance the project by designating, as its preferred alternative, Lake Sakakawea as the primary water supply. 

Reclamation’s preferred alternative recognizes the need for the NAWS project system to provide up to 26 million gallons of Missouri River water per day to more than 100,000 North Dakotans. The project is being funded with federal, state and local dollars from the communities that will use the water, with the system designed to provide service through 2060.

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