Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Red River Valley Water Supply Project released for public comment. [click here].
The U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation and the State of North Dakota, released the Red River Valley WAter Supply Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on December 21, 2007.
A copy of t he FEIS and accompanying CD-ROMS can be obtained at www.rrvwsp.com or by calling 701-250-4242.
Authorization
The Dakota Water Resources Act (DWRA) of 2000 authorized the Red River Valley Water Supply Project in order to provide a reliable supply of quality drinking water for the Red River Valley. DWRA also mandated the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with joint leadership between the federal government and the State of North Dakota. Garrison Diversion was designated by the governor to represent the State of North Dakota in the Red River Valley Water Supply Project.
The Garrison Diversion Conservancy District's Board of Directors passed a resoultion supporting the Red River Valley analysis at its April 12, 2001, meeting in Carrington, North Dakota. [read resolution]
To view the Red River Valley Memorandum of Understanding between the Bureau of Reclamation and the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, [click here].
EIS
Garrison Diversion, representing the State of North Dakota, and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), representing the federal government, act as co-leads in the development of the EIS.
Reasons for the EIS
Most of the people living in the Red River Valley rely on the drought-prone Red River of the North and its tributaries as their primary or sole source of water. For this reason, the Red River Valley Water Supply Project is being proposed. Studies predict that the present water supplies would be inadequate during a severe drought similar to one that occurred in the Red Riever Valley during the 1930s.
Planning for future droughts is necessary because droughts have affected the northern Great Plains numerous times during the past 2,000 years. Two of the most severe droughts in U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) records for the region were in the 1930s and the 1980s. As explained in a drought frequency study, Meridian Environmental Technology, Inc., councluded that the 1930s drought was not an anomaly occurring only every 1,000 years; it typifies the type of drought that could relistically be repeated before 2050.
Purpose of the EIS
The purpose of the EIS is to evaluate alternatives to meet the long-term water needs of the Red River Valley in North Dakota and three cities in Minnesota, East Grand Forks, Moorhead and Breckenridge.
Draft EIS
A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was released by the Bureau of Reclamation and the state of North Dakota in December 2005. The draft EIS evaluated eight alternatives to meet the water supply needs of the Red River Valley. Of these, three would utilize existing surface water and groundwater sources in North Dakota and Minnesota, four would import water from the Missouri River and one would include the future of the Red River Valley if no project is built. The four import alternatives would include water treatment plants to reduce the risk of transferring invasive species.
Supplemental Draft EIS
The SDEIS, released on January 31, 2007, contained revisions to the DEIS and was written to incorporate responses to substantive comments related to environmental issues received on the DEIS. New information became available, and additional analyses relevant to environmental concerns and issues were conducted in response to the comments.
After the additional analysis, the SDEIS eliminated two of the alternatives contained in the DEIS from further consideration and identified the GDU Import to the Sheyenne River as the state and federally-preferred alternative.
Final EIS
The FEIS was released by the Bureau of Reclamation and the state of North Dakota on December 21, 2007. This document includes responses to public comments received on the Draft and Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statements. It also contains a final biological assessment prepared in compliance with the Endangered Species Act, an analysis of forecasted depletions and sedimentation on the Missouri River main stem reservoir system and a review of climate change literature.
A Preferred Alternative
After due consideration and evaluation of technical, hydrologic and design aspects; water permitting and environmental impacts, the state of North Dakota and the Bureau of Reclamation each identified the GDU Import to the Sheyenne River Alternative as the preferred alternative.
The GDU Import to the Sheyenne River Alternative provides positive benefits to the environment and harbors no significant negative environmental impacts. It meets the water needs of the Red River Valley now and in the future. This option also provides the core infrastructure for all water systems in the Valley, thus, offering the flexibility of future expansion. It has no technical constructability issues and is the least costly of the three Missouri River import alternatives.
To view a map of the GDU Import to the Sheyenne River Alternative [click here].
The GDU Import to the Sheyenne River Alternative would transports water through the McClusky Canal, then utilize a buried pipeline from a biota treatment facility to the Sheyenne River north of Lake Ashtabula. Lake Ashtabula would act as a regulating reservoir. From there, water would be released into the Sheyenne River and flow into the Red River, supplying water systems in the Red River Valley with a reliable supply of drinking water.
The Next Step
After a 30-day waiting period following the release of the FEIS, the Secretary of the Interior will issue a Record of Decision (ROD), stating the alternative selected for implementation and the reasons for leading to the decision.
In accordance with the DWRA, if a Missouri River import alternative is selected in the ROD, a comprehensive report will be sent to Congress within 90 days of the release of the FEIS. The report will identify the proposed alternative, environmental issues, effects on Minnesota and Missouri River states and compliance with the Boundary Waters Treaty. Congressional authorization to use the Missouri River is required before the project may be implemented.
Links
The Red River Valley Water Supply Project web page
Lake Agassiz Water Authority web page
The Bureau of Reclamation, Dakotas Area Office