The proposed Red River Valley Water Supply Project is scheduled to continue to develop in 2010.
Operational planning, pre-final design, permitting, environmental efforts and financial planning are all expected to be addressed or completed this year. The purpose of the project is to take Missouri River water from Lake Sakakawea and transfer it to the Red River Valley.
"The project will provide a supplemental water supply to meet the needs of the people and industries of the Red River Valley," said Mary Mooridian, communications director for the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District in Carrington. "The water is for when drought hits the Red River Valley but also to look at supplying rural water systems with water. Right now there are no rural systems included but we can foresee that in the future."
According to the December 2009 issue of North Dakota Water, published by the North Dakota Water Education Foundation, 119 of 173 landowners have already signed option agreements to have a pipe five feet or greater in diameter flow through their land. The 123- mile long pipeline would take water from the McClusky Canal. McClusky Canal water is supplied through Lake Audubon from Lake Sakakawea.
"The water from the pipeline would flow into the Sheyenne River above Lake Ashtabula, then back into the Sheyenne and finally the Red River and to contracted water users," explained Mooridian. "We're working on an operational plan right now. It's not finalized. It's a draft plan."
Because the project involves the transfer of water from one river system to another the Missouri to the Red a biota treatment plant would be required. The plant would likely be built north of the town of McClusky for the purpose of preventing the transfer of unwanted biota. Biota transfer is a sensitive issue, particularly since the Red River flows north into Canada. The Canadians have already expressed their concerns about Missouri River water diverted north across their border rather than flowing south and into the Mississippi drainage.
"Ours is an international situation and that gets stickier for sure," said Bruce Kreft, conservation biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Bismarck. "The Canadians voice their concerns all the time. Game and Fish is not supporting any alternatives. We're supplying input regarding Fish and Wildlife resources. We're working with the state as a technical representative."
"Manitoba said if we met the treatment goals, then Canada would be okay with it," said Mooridian. "We are moving forward with the project but need authority from Congress."
How much Lake Sakakawea water, and how often it would be needed, are questions yet to be completely answered. It is estimated that the pipeline would be capable of carrying 123 cubic feet of water per second. However, as a "supplemental" water supply the proposal calls for extra water only during times when drought hits the Red River Valley. The last time the Red River went dry was 1934.
"Still, there will be some year-round movement of water for pipe maintenance and to prevent freezing and the like," said Kreft. "We're not sure how much water or how often. There is a lot of unknowns there. "
Even with authorization from Congress, it is estimated that it will take a least five years before water could be delivered to the Red River Valley through the new pipeline. A potential stumbling block that could delay the pipeline project is the Fargo-Metro Division Flood Control Project which has become a high priority for Fargo. Both water projects carry hefty price tags that have been estimated at $1 billion or more. The cost is expected to be divided evenly between local, state and federal funding.
If the Red River Valley Water Supply Project is finalized, it would likely mean that water would flow on a continual basis through the Snake Creek Pumping Plant on Lake Sakakawea, into Lake Audubon and through the outlet gates into the McClusky Canal. A change in flows could also affect water levels on the GDU Canal Lakes chain and on Lake Audubon itself. However, Kreft thinks any additional flows through the proposed pipeline would be manageable in regards to lake levels from Audubon through the GDU Canal Lakes.
"Right now we believe operations on Lake Audubon would stay very similar to what they have been," said Kreft. "There'll be more water moving but the elevations should stay the same. That's necessary for stabilization of islands, bay cutoffs and enhancements that have already been done and that rely on the current operational plan for Lake Audubon. What it will do to the productivity of the fishery is yet to be determined. I'm not saying it's a negative or a positive. It's an unknown."
Yet to be determined is whether or not the project will involve wildlife mitigation acres to compensate for land acquired for the pipeline corridor. That issue is expected to be addressed in the coming months.
The biggest issue though, will continue to be how much water is needed now and in the future. It is a legitimate concern in western North Dakota where Lake Sakakawea continued to fall for several years until showing an increase in 2009. During Lake Sakakawea's recent spell of low water, communities relying on Lake Sakakawea for municipal water supplies either had their water supply interrupted or intakes had to be extended to reach deeper into the lake.
"Right now they are trying to project the needs in a 50-year time frame, trying to account for all additional growth in the Fargo area," said Kreft. "The question is how much water are we talking about and how much can we supply?"
It is a perplexing question because weather trends that cannot be controlled can always play a leading role. In years when the snowpack in the mountains of Montana is deep, an abundance of water usually enters the Missouri and Yellowstone River systems which feed into Lake Sakakawea. During those years moving extra water into the pipeline for the Red River Valley may have very little effect on the elevation of Lake Sakakawea.
The existing plan calls for storing a one-year supply of water for the Red River Valley in Lake Ashtabula. In dry years, which could potentially effect both the Missouri and Red River drainages, the scenario could change considerably. At those times there would be less water to meet demands which continue to increase and how much water flows through the pipeline may be of vital importance to water users on both sides of the state of North Dakota.
