Water project funds granted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture this week represent just a portion of the federal stimulus money that will be spent on expanding rural and municipal water service in North Dakota.
"There's water districts across the state that are going to benefit from stimulus money from one source or another," said Melody Kruckenberg, executive director of the North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association, Bismarck.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Corps of Engineers and a state revolving loan fund will be announcing funding awards in the future, Kruckenberg said. The money couldn't come at a better time, either, because much of the traditional money available for water projects must be redirected to address issues related to spring flooding, she said.
With stimulus dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, USDA Rural Development awarded Harvey a loan for $1.53 million and a grant for $1.43 million to replace water main lines. The city has been replacing its old cast iron water mains, and this is the last of the mains to be replaced.
The city hopes to let bids on the estimated $3.4 million project on May 13. In addition to the federal dollars, Harvey has received a $400,000 loan through the Bank of North Dakota and has appropriated $74,000 in city funds. Resident water bills are estimated to go up $8.75 a month to $36.25.
North Central Rural Water Consortium II, Minot, will receive a loan for about $3 million to build a rural water distribution system that will serve approximately 317 new rural users south and east of Minot. The territory extends into McHenry County and includes Rice Lake and Radar Hill. The total project cost is $3.1 million. North Prairie Rural Water District will be providing service.
North Central Water Consortium II also will receive a loan and grant combo for about $1 million to build a rural water distribution system that will serve approximately 107 new rural users located in the CONAC Rural Economic Area Partnership Zone. The area includes southern Benson and southern Pierce counties. A federal grant of $1.9 million from the Municipal, Rural and Industrial fund also will help pay for the nearly $3 million project. Central Plains Water District will be providing service.
Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, New Town, has been selected to receive a loan for about $2.6 million and a grant for $928,900 to build a water distribution system that will allow for 80 new rural hookups. Additionally, there will be a $1 million USDA Rural Development grant made with Native American set aside funding from the Water/ Waste program. The project will allow water distribution from an existing water treatment plant supplying water to rural users on the Fort Berthold Reservation.
Funding is contingent upon recipients meeting the terms of the loan or grant agreement. Construction on the projects would begin this year.
The North Dakota Health Department has received $19.5 million in federal stimulus money to allocate to water projects. Among eight systems in line for the money if they choose to accept it are Ray and Tioga Water Supply Association, Washburn, Karlsruhe and Burke-Divide-Williams.
The stimulus money is a boon to money-thirsty projects.
"It allowed us to go ahead and speed that whole process up and to get those rural water customers hooked up who have been waiting more than 30 years," said Ralph Packulak, president of North Central Rural Water Consortium.
In addition to the Radar Hill and Benson and Pierce projects, the consortium plans are to begin rural water system construction in the Anamoose and Benedict areas this fall. The consortium recently completed projects for Granville, the Riverdale-Pick City area, Brooks and Rambling Hills, Des Lacs and Logan. A project in the Maddock area that includes Esmond is underway. The completed and new projects together have total cost of $27.75 million.
Another possible project to get started late this year is the $4.4 million Deering-NorthWard line.
The consortium has $11.83 million of work planned for next year, including projects that will bring rural water to Ryder, Makoti, west McLean and west Ward counties and additional rural subscribers in an area served by Central Plains, headquartered in Fessenden.
That would leave about $18 million in work for the future, including water service to Carpio and the rural area around Berthold and Carpio. Getting that last piece of funding would complete water service throughout the consortium's 11-county area, Packulak said.