Garrison Diversion updates legislators on Red River Valley Water Supply: 18 miles built, federal funding push continues

Duane de Kray, general manager of the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, briefed the Natural Resources and Energy Committee on Jan. 22 about construction progress and federal funding needs for the Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP), a regional pipeline and treatment plan designed to deliver Missouri River water to Central and Eastern North Dakota.

Project purpose and context: De Kray reviewed the project’s history and purpose: the Red River project is intended as a long‑term emergency and supplemental water supply to support municipal, industrial and agricultural needs in eastern North Dakota and to underpin economic development. He noted the project was originally conceived to address a long history of dry periods—“in a 30‑style drought, the Red River … had 0 flow for five months,” he said—and to provide a dependable supply for cities and industrial users.

Scope, status and technical details presented: De Kray told the committee the project design includes a 72‑inch (6‑foot) spiral‑welded steel pipeline about 125 miles long and a treatment plant sized to deliver up to 165 cubic feet per second, with minimum cover over the pipe of about 7 feet where constructed across irrigated…