AP Photo The Minot Water Treatment Plant expansion under construction will provide capacity of up to 27 million gallons a day, of which 24.5 million gallons would come from Lake Sakakawea and 2.5 million gallons from groundwater sources. The project is expected to finish this summer.

Water could be flowing from Lake Sakakawea through the Northwest Area Water Supply project by the end of 2023 if funding issues can be held at bay.

The NAWS Advisory Committee met electronically Tuesday for an update on the project status.

“Funding may become an issue,” said project manager Tim Freije with the North Dakota State Water Commission. “The Water Resources Trust Fund was trending above projections but slowed dramatically.”

The COVID-19 pandemic and plunge in oil prices has impacted collections going into the fund. However, Freije said there are opportunities to move the project forward with the available federal, state and Minot sales tax dollars.

He said construction on an estimated $61 million biota treatment plant near Max could be bid by mid-summer, with completion in 2023 if all goes well.

Design work is nearing completion on the Snake Creek pumping plant modifications that will be necessary to take in water from the lake as well. That project could be bid next winter. The South Prairie reservoir and hydrologic control structure, currently in design, also will be important in bringing water from the lake.

Current active construction includes the Phase II improvements going on at the Minot Water Treatment Plant. The roughly $30 million plant improvements are replacing softening basins and associated systems. Started in April 2018, the work is still expected to finish this summer, although it is currently behind schedule.

The pipeline from Renville Corner to the Westhope corner is finishing up. The pipeline from near Lansford to Renville Corner started in last fall and should finish this coming fall.

About 15 miles of pipeline from the Westhope Corner to the Souris Corner could be completed this fall. That project will include almost a mile-long bore under the J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge. Freije said the bore is necessary because of the river terrain and to minimize the impact to the refuge.

The raw water line south of Minot to the lake, which was constructed between 2002 to about 2007, is undergoing inspection for leakage. The first section, about 7.5 miles of pipeline near Minot, is being used to transport water from the Sundre Aquifer.

In addition to final design work on the biota treatment plant and Snake Creek improvements, design work is occurring on a Lansford reservoir pump station, a pipeline from Souris Corner to Bottineau and reservoirs and pump stations at Souris and Bottineau.