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Irrigation advocates urge appropriation for development, permits and staffing; committee hears request for interest-rate buydowns and data analyst FTE
Summary
Irrigation and water‑user groups told the Appropriations — Education and Environment Division that House Bill 1020’s water-development funds should prioritize planning grants, a Bank of North Dakota construction line of credit for local districts, and staffing at the Department of Water Resources to speed permit review.
Representatives of irrigation and water-user groups told the House Appropriations — Education and Environment Division they support House Bill 1020’s proposed water-development funding and urged additional support for planning grants, a Bank of North Dakota line of credit, and staffing to speed water-permit review.
Steve Hansen, chairman of the North Dakota Irrigation Association, said a recent study (synopsis provided to the committee) found roughly 2 million acres across the state have soils and land use amenable to irrigation development and that 37 counties have more than 10,000 acres of potential irrigable cropland. Hansen asked appropriators to consider $300,000 to $500,000 in the general water bucket to support cost-share planning for irrigation districts and to continue the state’s participation in an interest-rate buydown program for individual irrigators (AG-PACE), which has been underused.
Dennis Reap, representing the North Dakota Water Resource Districts Association, told the committee water resource districts cover the entire state, typically handle flooding and erosion projects, and operate with limited county-level funding. He asked lawmakers to consider a Bank of North Dakota line-of-credit allocation (included in parts of the budget request) to help local districts meet construction cash-flow needs and noted permitting delays are a frequent constraint on project schedules.
Dan Wagsland of the North Dakota Grain Growers Association stated his group supports House Bill 1020, highlighting an item in the executive budget that would add an attorney position in the Department of Water Resources. Wagsland said the association views the legal position as a “wise investment” to help address complex water-law issues affecting agriculture.
Speakers emphasized permit processing capacity at the Department of Water Resources as a bottleneck: both irrigation proponents and water-district representatives urged consideration of additional technical or data-analysis staff so the agency can analyze water-use and aquifer data promptly and make timely permit decisions.
No committee votes were recorded during the public testimony segment; lawmakers asked for data on historical irrigation adoption rates and acreage, which testifiers said they could provide after the hearing.
