| Summary: | arctic air from the Canadian prairies can scarcely support any precipitation. As such, the warm season accounts for more than three-quarters of the state's total annual precipitation. Depending on the season, the total water contained in the atmosphere above North Dakota ranges from about 350,000 acre-feet in the winter, to 5.5 million acre- feet in the summer. A vast majority of the water passes through the state, borne by winds aloft. On any given day, nature converts a small fraction of the available water to clouds and/or precipitation. Western Area Water Supply Project Moving Forward With the North Dakota Legislature's passage of House Bill 1206 during the 2011 Legislative Session, the high profile Western Area Water Supply Project (WAWSP) will move forward. As the oil industry continues to grow in the northwest portion of North Dakota, so does the need for water development projects to support that growth - both for drilling processes, and a growing workforce. The general purpose of the WAWSP will be to develop a regional water supply system that will deliver Missouri River water from the Williston Regional Water Treatment plant to areas throughout the northwest, oil producing region of the state (see map). Thousands of North Dakotans, including those living in communities and rural areas will benefit from a new clean and reliable source of drinking water, while having industry pay for a portion of the cost through water sales. With the North Dakota Legislature's passage of HB 1206, there is now a funding mechanism in place to get this project moving forward. As specifically outlined in HB 1206, a WAWSP authority board of directors will be established to oversee the advancement of the project. The initial board of directors will consist of representatives from Williams Rural Water District; McKenzie County Water District; the city of Williston; Burke, Divide, Williams Water System Association; Ray and Tioga Water Supply Association; and the State Engineer (or his designee). The duties of this authority will be to "treat, store, and distribute water to western North Dakota. to provide for the supply and distribution of water to the people of western North Dakota for purposes, including domestic, rural water, municipal, livestock, industrial, oil and gas development, and other uses, and provide for the future economic welfare and prosperity of the people of this state, and particularly the people of western North Dakota." The bill also says that the WAWSP authority "may acquire, construct, improve, develop, and own water supply infrastructure and may enter water supply contracts with member cities, water districts, and private users, such as oil and gas producers, Chapter Eleven - Natural Resources 581
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