Fargo honors water department, names Matt Hager inaugural Fargo Rising Star

The Fargo City Commission opened its meeting by highlighting the work of the city’s Water Department and presenting the first Fargo Rising Star Award to Matt Hager, a water treatment plant operator.

The presentation noted Fargo operates two treatment plants — an older lime softening plant (roughly 30 million gallons per day capacity) and a newer membrane plant (roughly 15 million gallons per day) — and that average winter demand is about 14–15 million gallons per day and can rise to 32–33 million gallons per day in summer, driven largely by lawn watering. City speakers described challenges the department manages day-to-day: rapidly changing river conditions, turbidity from snow melt and spring flooding, frazzle ice in winter, and the need to adjust chemical dosing frequently.

Commission remarks emphasized the department’s continuous monitoring systems and network of 11 water towers and a computer model of the water distribution system. The commission also noted the water system’s recognition in a national blind taste test, and the department’s recent completion of a pumping station to lift Cheyenne River water to the treatment plant.

Matt Hager was introduced as a water treatment plant operator number 3 who holds the second-highest treatment license in North Dakota, is working toward the top license, and has worked at the plant for more than three years. The commission praised his calm demeanor, technical duties — including regulatory logging, computer control monitoring, lab testing, flow and chemical adjustments, and maintenance — and presented him as the first Fargo Rising Star Award recipient.

The presentation was ceremonial; no regulatory or budget action accompanied the spotlight segment.