Originally published in Associated Baptist Press on May 13, 2001
Click here for original link.
by Bob Allen.
LIBERTY, Mo. (ABP) -- Big Muddy/Clean Water, a campaign to raise money for clean water in Ethiopia connected to the Missouri River 340 race, recently received a $5,000 grant by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Missouri. The grant will be used to promote the effort as well as adding to the project’s fundraising goal of $20,000.
Josh Arnone and Jason Nazario, both from Columbia, Mo., are competing in the July 22-25 race to raise awareness of the need for sustainable and healthy water sources in Ethiopia, as well as to raise money to build water wells through Water is Life International, a 501(c)3 dedicated to providing access to clean water. More than 59 million people in that country do not have access to safe water and live on less than $2 a day.
Showing posts with label water supply. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water supply. Show all posts
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
ND lawmakers approve plan for pipeline project
Originally published by Forbes on April 27, 2010
Click here for original link.
By Trevor Born - Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. -- Lawmakers on Tuesday approved using a patchwork of loans to finance a $150 million water pipeline project that would supply western North Dakota's oil industry and a number of cities in the region.
House members approved the bill 81-12 on Tuesday, followed by passage in the Senate, 39-8. It now goes to Gov. Jack Dalrymple.
The Western Area Water Supply project will take water from the Missouri River near Williston and pipe it into rural western North Dakota.
Click here for original link.
By Trevor Born - Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. -- Lawmakers on Tuesday approved using a patchwork of loans to finance a $150 million water pipeline project that would supply western North Dakota's oil industry and a number of cities in the region.
House members approved the bill 81-12 on Tuesday, followed by passage in the Senate, 39-8. It now goes to Gov. Jack Dalrymple.
The Western Area Water Supply project will take water from the Missouri River near Williston and pipe it into rural western North Dakota.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
North Dakota: Legislature Urges Army Corps of Engineers to Give the State Back Water Control
Originally published in PlainsDaily.com on March 22, 2011
Click here for original link
By Kate Bommarito
The Senate passed HCR 3019 today, a resolution urging the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) “to immediately cease wrongful denial of access and wrongful requirement of payment for the natural flows of the Missouri River,” and demands that the COE “forgo any attempt to charge water users in North Dakota a fee to use water from Lake Sakakawea or Lake Oahe.”
Both the Governor and the Attorney General had testified at the resolution’s committee hearing. At the House hearing, Dalrymple called the US Army Corps of Engineers’ new policies both “unjustifiable” and “utterly inappropriate for the state of North Dakota.”
The Corps has had a long and contentious history when it comes to their management of the Missouri River water. Most recently, the COE has been attempting to charge North Dakota water “storage fees,” for water held in Lake Sakakwea and Lake Oahe.
State Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem stated “It is not just nor I think legal to demand that we get permission to use water that naturally flows through our state, and it borders on insult to demand that we pay for it,” when he addressed the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
At the same time the Senate was voting on HCR 3019, the House was voting on a related resolution, SCR 4002, urging Congress “to provide a legal process to return to the state of North Dakota land controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers which is not necessary for authorized purposes.”
SCR 4002 specifies that the COE “has acquired certain lands around the Missouri River water system, including Lake Oahe and Lake Sakakawea,” and demands that the land be returned, giving the state of North Dakota full control over the land, including access to the river’s water.
The Corps’ plan to charge the state for its water has been met with public outcry in the state and has far reaching implications, especially considering the current water pipeline projects and the oil industry’s increased need for access to water.
Both resolutions passed their respective chambers unanimously
Click here for original link
By Kate Bommarito
The Senate passed HCR 3019 today, a resolution urging the Army Corps of Engineers (COE) “to immediately cease wrongful denial of access and wrongful requirement of payment for the natural flows of the Missouri River,” and demands that the COE “forgo any attempt to charge water users in North Dakota a fee to use water from Lake Sakakawea or Lake Oahe.”
Both the Governor and the Attorney General had testified at the resolution’s committee hearing. At the House hearing, Dalrymple called the US Army Corps of Engineers’ new policies both “unjustifiable” and “utterly inappropriate for the state of North Dakota.”
The Corps has had a long and contentious history when it comes to their management of the Missouri River water. Most recently, the COE has been attempting to charge North Dakota water “storage fees,” for water held in Lake Sakakwea and Lake Oahe.
State Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem stated “It is not just nor I think legal to demand that we get permission to use water that naturally flows through our state, and it borders on insult to demand that we pay for it,” when he addressed the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
At the same time the Senate was voting on HCR 3019, the House was voting on a related resolution, SCR 4002, urging Congress “to provide a legal process to return to the state of North Dakota land controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers which is not necessary for authorized purposes.”
SCR 4002 specifies that the COE “has acquired certain lands around the Missouri River water system, including Lake Oahe and Lake Sakakawea,” and demands that the land be returned, giving the state of North Dakota full control over the land, including access to the river’s water.
The Corps’ plan to charge the state for its water has been met with public outcry in the state and has far reaching implications, especially considering the current water pipeline projects and the oil industry’s increased need for access to water.
Both resolutions passed their respective chambers unanimously
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Western Area Water Supply Pipeline Proposal in North Dakota
Originally published in PlainsDaily.com
By Kate Bommarito on March 16, 2011 at 05:47 pm
Click here for original posting
The question of how best to increase the water supply to Western North Dakota was addressed again today, when the Senate Industry, Business and Labor Committee continued its hearing on HB 1206.
The bill proposes the creation of a western area water supply authority and gives that entity the ability to oversee the building of a new, public water pipeline as well as enter into water supply contracts with “member cities, water districts, and private users, such as oil and gas producers, for the sale of water for use within or outside the authority boundaries or the state.”
The Western Area Water Supply Project (WAWS) is an extensive pipeline project that would pump water from the Missouri River and transport it via new pipelines to western areas. If the bill passes, construction could begin as early as this summer and be completed by 2014.
The project is estimated to cost $200-300 million. The project would be financed by a state guaranteed bond issuance. The bonds would be paid back over thirteen years using revenues coming from WAWSA’s sale of water to the oil industry. Projected industry water sales estimate that the bonds would actually be repaid within the first 8 years.
By Kate Bommarito on March 16, 2011 at 05:47 pm
Click here for original posting
The question of how best to increase the water supply to Western North Dakota was addressed again today, when the Senate Industry, Business and Labor Committee continued its hearing on HB 1206.
The bill proposes the creation of a western area water supply authority and gives that entity the ability to oversee the building of a new, public water pipeline as well as enter into water supply contracts with “member cities, water districts, and private users, such as oil and gas producers, for the sale of water for use within or outside the authority boundaries or the state.”
The Western Area Water Supply Project (WAWS) is an extensive pipeline project that would pump water from the Missouri River and transport it via new pipelines to western areas. If the bill passes, construction could begin as early as this summer and be completed by 2014.
The project is estimated to cost $200-300 million. The project would be financed by a state guaranteed bond issuance. The bonds would be paid back over thirteen years using revenues coming from WAWSA’s sale of water to the oil industry. Projected industry water sales estimate that the bonds would actually be repaid within the first 8 years.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Western ND looks at regional water pipeline
Originally published by Associated Press on March 3, 2011 in the Plains Daily
Original Link click here
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- North Dakota's booming oil industry requires huge amounts of water for drilling, a need the state could use to bring clean drinking water to rural towns, backers of a proposed water pipeline project say.
The Western Area Water Supply project, which the North Dakota Senate's Industry, Business and Labor Committee reviewed Thursday, would pump water from the Missouri River near Williston and sell it to oil companies and cities.
The legislation would set up a board to oversee the project and have the state back the bonds that would finance it. The pipeline network's estimated cost ranges from $150 million to $300 million.
The project's supporters call it an opportunity to build pipelines that will supply drinking water for cities and rural areas, while laying most of the expense onto an oil industry that is ravenous for water.
Skeptics say that if oil prices collapse, the state could be left holding a sizable bill. Water haulers said they have already invested in facilities to serve the industry, which a state-financed pipeline system would undercut.
"We have a great opportunity to build infrastructure to service western North Dakota for the next 100 years," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Bob Skarphol, R-Tioga. "We have the opportunity to fund it with the help of the private sector's need for water."
North Dakota's oil industry uses a process called hydraulic fracturing to break down underground shale formations to extract oil. A single well can require 1 million to 1.5 million gallons of water during the process.
Companies now often have to haul water by truck, sometimes as far as 40 miles. A pipeline system would reduce hauling time, cut down truck traffic and provide better access to water. Supporters of the project expect oil companies will buy enough water in five to seven years to cover the system's cost.
"It'll benefit the people, and it'll benefit industry by allowing us to buy water," said Ron Ness, the president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, which represents oil companies working in western North Dakota. "This opportunity only comes so often, when a big commercial user is ready to pay the bill."
The city of Williston and some neighboring water districts have been working on the proposal for more than two years.
Their plan envisions beginning pipeline construction on the Missouri River southwest of Williston and extending in four directions, reaching Grenora to the northwest, Ray to the northeast and Alexander and Watford City to the south.
City officials say Williston has the right to pump up to 30 million gallons of water from the river per day, but it uses only about 3 million gallons.
The city's water treatment plant was renovated in 2006, and can now handle 10 million gallons of water daily. If the Western Water Supply initiative is approved, its treatment capacity could be expanded to 14 million gallons, city officials said.
Opponents say the plan is too risky and could leave the state on the hook for a huge debt. The project's finances depend on oil companies being willing to buy most of the treated water.
"You never, ever can bank on the oil and gas industry," said Michael Nash, who runs a water trucking company in Williston. "We're a transient industry, that's all there is to it. If you bank on this industry, you will get burned. It's not a matter of if, but when."
Owners of private water businesses said the government would be unfairly competing with their industry and could undercut prices. Some said they'd invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in water depots for oil companies, which the pipeline could put out of business.
"If it were not for the entrepreneurs that spent their hard-earned money to respond to the needs of the industry at the time, we wouldn't have the oil industry doing like it is today," said Robert Harms, a lobbyist for independent water companies. "It's because the private sector invested its own money to develop the depots we're talking about."
If the bill is approved, pipeline construction would begin this summer.
The House approved the measure earlier, 91-3. The Senate committee took no action on it after a five-hour hearing Thursday. The panel intends to take testimony from Todd Sando, the state Water Commission's chief engineer, next week.
The bill is HB1206.
Original Link click here
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- North Dakota's booming oil industry requires huge amounts of water for drilling, a need the state could use to bring clean drinking water to rural towns, backers of a proposed water pipeline project say.
The Western Area Water Supply project, which the North Dakota Senate's Industry, Business and Labor Committee reviewed Thursday, would pump water from the Missouri River near Williston and sell it to oil companies and cities.
The legislation would set up a board to oversee the project and have the state back the bonds that would finance it. The pipeline network's estimated cost ranges from $150 million to $300 million.
The project's supporters call it an opportunity to build pipelines that will supply drinking water for cities and rural areas, while laying most of the expense onto an oil industry that is ravenous for water.
Skeptics say that if oil prices collapse, the state could be left holding a sizable bill. Water haulers said they have already invested in facilities to serve the industry, which a state-financed pipeline system would undercut.
"We have a great opportunity to build infrastructure to service western North Dakota for the next 100 years," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Bob Skarphol, R-Tioga. "We have the opportunity to fund it with the help of the private sector's need for water."
North Dakota's oil industry uses a process called hydraulic fracturing to break down underground shale formations to extract oil. A single well can require 1 million to 1.5 million gallons of water during the process.
Companies now often have to haul water by truck, sometimes as far as 40 miles. A pipeline system would reduce hauling time, cut down truck traffic and provide better access to water. Supporters of the project expect oil companies will buy enough water in five to seven years to cover the system's cost.
"It'll benefit the people, and it'll benefit industry by allowing us to buy water," said Ron Ness, the president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, which represents oil companies working in western North Dakota. "This opportunity only comes so often, when a big commercial user is ready to pay the bill."
The city of Williston and some neighboring water districts have been working on the proposal for more than two years.
Their plan envisions beginning pipeline construction on the Missouri River southwest of Williston and extending in four directions, reaching Grenora to the northwest, Ray to the northeast and Alexander and Watford City to the south.
City officials say Williston has the right to pump up to 30 million gallons of water from the river per day, but it uses only about 3 million gallons.
The city's water treatment plant was renovated in 2006, and can now handle 10 million gallons of water daily. If the Western Water Supply initiative is approved, its treatment capacity could be expanded to 14 million gallons, city officials said.
Opponents say the plan is too risky and could leave the state on the hook for a huge debt. The project's finances depend on oil companies being willing to buy most of the treated water.
"You never, ever can bank on the oil and gas industry," said Michael Nash, who runs a water trucking company in Williston. "We're a transient industry, that's all there is to it. If you bank on this industry, you will get burned. It's not a matter of if, but when."
Owners of private water businesses said the government would be unfairly competing with their industry and could undercut prices. Some said they'd invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in water depots for oil companies, which the pipeline could put out of business.
"If it were not for the entrepreneurs that spent their hard-earned money to respond to the needs of the industry at the time, we wouldn't have the oil industry doing like it is today," said Robert Harms, a lobbyist for independent water companies. "It's because the private sector invested its own money to develop the depots we're talking about."
If the bill is approved, pipeline construction would begin this summer.
The House approved the measure earlier, 91-3. The Senate committee took no action on it after a five-hour hearing Thursday. The panel intends to take testimony from Todd Sando, the state Water Commission's chief engineer, next week.
The bill is HB1206.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Agencies seek funding to complete rural water project
by Mary Garrigan
originally published in the Rapid City Journal - February 24, 2011
original link: http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_e25531d6-407f-11e0-9ab8-001cc4c002e0.html
Three tribes and 10 federal agencies met Thursday in Rapid City to consult on how to get the nearly-complete Mni Wiconi water project finished in the shortest time with the least amount of additional congressional funding.
The more than 20-year-old project has been authorized through 2013, but the distribution system that supplies Missouri River drinking water to thousands of people on four rural water systems and three Native American reservations will still need an extension of time and more money to see it through to completion, said Mike Watson, project engineer with the Oglala Sioux Rural Water Supply System.
originally published in the Rapid City Journal - February 24, 2011
original link: http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_e25531d6-407f-11e0-9ab8-001cc4c002e0.html
Three tribes and 10 federal agencies met Thursday in Rapid City to consult on how to get the nearly-complete Mni Wiconi water project finished in the shortest time with the least amount of additional congressional funding.
The more than 20-year-old project has been authorized through 2013, but the distribution system that supplies Missouri River drinking water to thousands of people on four rural water systems and three Native American reservations will still need an extension of time and more money to see it through to completion, said Mike Watson, project engineer with the Oglala Sioux Rural Water Supply System.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Down Under the River
by Steve Schnarr
Missouri American Water, the privately owned water company that serves several communities along the Missouri River including the St. Louis metro area, Jefferson City, MO, Parkville, MO and St. Joseph, MO, held tours of their latest Jefferson City area project on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011.
The project is a new water intake system fed by the Missouri River. This winter, crews from engineering firm Layne Christenson have been digging a 200 + foot tunnel under the Missouri River. The tunnel connects with vertical intake pipes inserted into the bed of the Missouri River last fall. When completed, 2 t-shaped intakes will rest just a few feet above the Missouri River bed, feeding pipes laid through the tunnel. These new intakes will increase water capacity for the Jefferson City plant and increase reliability in times of low water.
The intakes are covered with a screen that will trap sediment and debris on the intakes. When these screens become clogged, an air jet will be used to flush sediment from the intakes.
I had the unique opportunity to tour the tunnel, serving as extra film crew for the Rivermiles PBS documentary series. Jodi Pfefferkorn and Scott Mansker, the hosts of the series which will begin running this spring, are doing a show that documents how to turn Missouri River water into tap water. After years of floating on the surface of the river and swimming in it, it was pretty cool to be able to go underneath it. The tunnel is cut through solid limestone bedrock below the groundwater table. The rock is literally flowing with water which is constantly pumped out of the tunnel. I wish I had photos to share, but I was too busy with the video camera to get stills!
The tunnel is located about 20 feet below the bottom of the river, and extends about 80 feet beyond the shoreline. After the intakes are completed, the tunnel will be filled in, so this really was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Several local reporters were invited to tour the tunnel, still in progress. Here is a story reported by KOMU-Channel 8 in Columbia, MO.
Originally broadcast on KOMU-TV, Columbia, MO on Feb. 16, 2011
Here's the link: http://bit.ly/fD2NJb
Here's the story as reported by KRCG-13's Mark Slavit:
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=582481
Missouri American Water, the privately owned water company that serves several communities along the Missouri River including the St. Louis metro area, Jefferson City, MO, Parkville, MO and St. Joseph, MO, held tours of their latest Jefferson City area project on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011.
The project is a new water intake system fed by the Missouri River. This winter, crews from engineering firm Layne Christenson have been digging a 200 + foot tunnel under the Missouri River. The tunnel connects with vertical intake pipes inserted into the bed of the Missouri River last fall. When completed, 2 t-shaped intakes will rest just a few feet above the Missouri River bed, feeding pipes laid through the tunnel. These new intakes will increase water capacity for the Jefferson City plant and increase reliability in times of low water.
The intakes are covered with a screen that will trap sediment and debris on the intakes. When these screens become clogged, an air jet will be used to flush sediment from the intakes.
I had the unique opportunity to tour the tunnel, serving as extra film crew for the Rivermiles PBS documentary series. Jodi Pfefferkorn and Scott Mansker, the hosts of the series which will begin running this spring, are doing a show that documents how to turn Missouri River water into tap water. After years of floating on the surface of the river and swimming in it, it was pretty cool to be able to go underneath it. The tunnel is cut through solid limestone bedrock below the groundwater table. The rock is literally flowing with water which is constantly pumped out of the tunnel. I wish I had photos to share, but I was too busy with the video camera to get stills!
The tunnel is located about 20 feet below the bottom of the river, and extends about 80 feet beyond the shoreline. After the intakes are completed, the tunnel will be filled in, so this really was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Several local reporters were invited to tour the tunnel, still in progress. Here is a story reported by KOMU-Channel 8 in Columbia, MO.
Originally broadcast on KOMU-TV, Columbia, MO on Feb. 16, 2011
Here's the link: http://bit.ly/fD2NJb
Here's the story as reported by KRCG-13's Mark Slavit:
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=582481
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Another North Dakota Missouri River Water Battle
As North Dakota ramps up development of their oil and gas fields, the need for water for hydrofracking and refining is increasing. The Corps of Engineers recently proposed charging oil companies a "storage fee" for use of "surplus" Missouri River reservoir water. The immediate response from North Dakota politicians and citizens was negative. While the fee is described as being for the oil industry, there is a belief that it would later be extended to farmers and other large water users. Plus, the idea of paying the federal government for water in reservoirs that flooded the richest bottom lands in the state doesn't sit well with many North Dakota citizens.
The Public Comment period ended January 17. Here's the original press release from the Corps:
http://mapservice.swc.nd.gov/4dlink9/4dcgi/GetContentPDF/PB-1902/NR121410.pdf
And here's the Draft "Surplus Water" report that listed originally listed the fee:
http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/pd-p/Sakakawea_SWR_Public_Draft.pdf
Here's a couple stories about the controversy. We'll post more as more details emerge and other states (which share the river) respond.
Bismark Tribune: "Corps plans to open tap to oil industry" Dec. 17, 2010
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/article_f8114b70-0a17-11e0-814e-001cc4c03286.html
Bismark KX - CBS affiliate: "Corps plan brings protests"
http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=700440
Williston Herald "Officials voice opposition to Corps plan"
http://www.willistonherald.com/articles/2011/01/21/news/doc4d39b4f6e0148149584517.txt
posted by Steve Schnarr, Missouri River Relief
The Public Comment period ended January 17. Here's the original press release from the Corps:
http://mapservice.swc.nd.gov/4dlink9/4dcgi/GetContentPDF/PB-1902/NR121410.pdf
And here's the Draft "Surplus Water" report that listed originally listed the fee:
http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/pd-p/Sakakawea_SWR_Public_Draft.pdf
Here's a couple stories about the controversy. We'll post more as more details emerge and other states (which share the river) respond.
Bismark Tribune: "Corps plans to open tap to oil industry" Dec. 17, 2010
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/article_f8114b70-0a17-11e0-814e-001cc4c03286.html
Bismark KX - CBS affiliate: "Corps plan brings protests"
http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=700440
Williston Herald "Officials voice opposition to Corps plan"
http://www.willistonherald.com/articles/2011/01/21/news/doc4d39b4f6e0148149584517.txt
posted by Steve Schnarr, Missouri River Relief
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