White Horse Water LLC is proposing to construct and operate an industrial water intake in McKenzie County within Lake Sakakawea.

The new water intake would be identified as the Sorenson Water intake. The project is about 5 miles east of Tobacco Garden Recreation Area in northern McKenzie County.

The proposed project is to supply surplus water, as defined in Section 6 of the 1944 Flood Control Act, to meet regional agricultural and industrial water needs. It would provide a stable, local supply of industrial water to meet the growing demand of the oil and gas industry for drilling and completion of new oil wells in the region. The proposed water intake could supply water for about 15 to 33 wells per year in the region.

The proposed project would include the construction of about 1,900 feet of horizontally directional drilled underground pipe that would run under the bed of Lake Sakakawea and connect to a water intake screen above the lake bed. One end of the pipe would connect to a pump house located on private property that would also be constructed as part of the project. About 1,200 feet of 16-inch high-density polyethylene pipe would be constructed to connect the pump house to an existing White Horse water storage ond located on private property. White Horse will locate the water pipeline within a common right-of-way, within reason, to minimize additional disturbance to the landscape. The majority of the proposed project is located on private land, and easements have been secured with the land owner. The portion of the underground pipe that runs under the bed of the Missouri River will require a U.S. Army Corps of Engineer permit and real estate actions which constitute federal actions.

Comments on the project can be sent to Karine Finken, Keitu Engineers & Consultants, Inc., PO Box 98, Mandan, ND 58554 or Luke Wallace, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CENWO-PMA-C, 1616 Capitol Ave., Omaha, NE 58102, or email kfinken@keitu.com or a.luke.wallace@usace.army.mil.

Comments should be made no later than March 4.