| Summary: | WATER PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS Garrison Diversion Project This project (fig. 14) is a major water development project, diverting and distributing good quality Missouri River water to satisfy some of the water needs of the state's residents. Total cost of the project is estimated at $1.1 billion. Total project funding has yet to be appropriated by the federal government. Major project features include: * Missouri River water entering the Hudson Bay drainage system must be treated to avoid the transfer of undesirable biota to Canada. * Water from Lake Sakakawea will provide for 130,000 acres of irrigation within the Missouri and James River Basins (fig. 14). * Municipal, rural, and industrial water delivery systems, utilizing Missouri River water or ground water, will be developed with a $200 million federal grant. A total of 125 applications have been received. Through 1993 about $103.1 million was used to complete 20 projects and fund two others under construction. The program operates under a grant/loan concept where 65 percent of eligible project costs are granted and a low-interest loan covers the remaining 35 percent. * Measures are provided to compensate for the adverse impacts of project features to fish and wildlife, and also to enhance recreation. The State of North Dakota completed a study in March, 1993 which evaluated ten alternatives to connecting the McClusky and New Rockford Canals. The study determined that a revised version of the Mid-Dakota Reservoir is the most economical and has the greatest potential to enhance fish and wildlife habitat of all ten alternatives analyzed. Garrison Diversion Unit History The dream of diverting Missouri River water originated in the early days of North Dakota statehood, when farmers began looking for ways to obtain a dependable source of water. Through federal funding and the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Plan, the Garrison Dam was built in 1955. The half-million acre reservoir (Lake Sakakawea) created by the dam became a source of water that could be diverted by canals to central and eastern North Dakota. Thus, to satisfy the dream, a 25-county Garrison Diversion Conservancy District was created by authority of the North Dakota State Legislature to act as the state agency responsible for implementing the project. 544 Chapter 12 Physical Characteristics and Resources of North Dakota
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