progress - oil impact

By JILL SCHRAMMStaff Writerjschramm

@minotdailynews.com

WATFORD CITY –Watford City has beenscrambling to develop infra-

structure tokeep pacewith itsr a p i dg r o w t h .That’s espe-cially beenthe casewhen itcomes tohandling thevolume ofwastewaterbeing gener-ated in acommunitythat hasgrown fromabout 1,500

residents before the oil boomto an estimated 6,000 to7,000 people receiving cityservices today.

The community is con-structing an $18 millionwastewater treatment facili-ty. That construction costdoesn’t include about $3million in engineering andother “soft” costs. Nor does itinclude another estimated$12 million for a secondphase of construction that

will be needed once the ini-tial plant is completed inDecember.

Watford City’s existinglagoon system doesn’t havethe capacity to continue

meeting the needs of thepopulation, said JustinSmith, the city’s public

works superintendent. Anaeration pond system hasbeen added to increase the

aerobic bacterial activity and

Minot Daily News

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2015 Oil & Gas Impact

Williston tackles itsbiggest project, Page 3.

DowntownWillistongetting updated look, Page 5.

No time for MWEC to rest on itslaurels, Page 8.

Jill Schramm/MDN

Workers with contractor Rice Lake Construction Group pour concrete for a clarifier at the wastewater treatment facility under construction in WatfordCity March 11.

Keeping up with growth

Jill Schramm/MDN

Workers with Rice Lake Construction Group, at left, work on the clarifier for a wastewater treatment facility in Watford City.In the background is the facility’s oxidation ditch that is under construction and some of the new housing that has been builtin the city recently.

Smith

Kelley

WatfordCity buildswastewaterplant

See GROW — 1

By MARISSA HOWARDStaff Writermhoward

@minotdailynews.com

It’s almost like the GoldRush of the mid-1800’s ishappening again before ourvery eyes. The goosebumpsthat must have prickled upJames Wilson Marshall’sarms when he saw the firstflakes of gold in theAmerican River, now on ourarms. The quickening heartsin men all over the countrywho heard the news andmade the long and precari-ous trip to find their owngold, now beating in menand women who hope to“strike oil” in the fields ofNorth Dakota. That wasthen, this is now. Historylike a storybook being readnot once, but twice.

While it has sloweddown since, the oil boom inMinot in the past decade hasbrought countless individu-als and families to theBakken. Though many of ushave heard stories, few stillreally know what it feels liketo walk in their shoes andleave everything behind–ahome, friends, family–insearch of a better life. This isa look into the lives of oneyoung family that did justthat and risked it all, simplybecause of a promise thatthis place, this once-sleepylittle town called Minot,offered so much more than itseemed.

Isaiah and Grace Dealwere like any other youngcouple, striving for degreesat a college in Branson, Mo.,with high hopes and pro-found dreams. Married inMay 2011, they lived in anRV on their parents’ drive-way for their first year ofmarriage and worked part-time jobs until they spentthe summer of 2012 in EstesPark in Colorado.

“After a few months offun, we decided it was timeto get serious,” said IsaiahDeal. “It just got us thinking,‘What are we going to dowith our lives?’”

After hearing aboutMinot’s growth and the then3.1 percent unemploymentrate on the news, Isaiah Dealdecided to take a road trip toMinot in October of that yearto see if what he was hearingwas true.

“You would walk intoplaces and they’d try to getyou to work that day,” saidIsaiah Deal of his trip. “Theydidn’t even care if you had aplace to live.”

Since he was only inMinot for a few days, IsaiahDeal planned to sleep in hiscar during his stay. Whileout on interviews, he met aresident who offered for himto stay in his home. Now,that family is one of theDeals’ nearest and dearestfriends.

“It gave me a feeling ofwhat the people here arelike,” said Isaiah Deal. “Icould definitely tell this is ahard-working community,too.”

His wife, Grace Deal,

nodded, thinking back towhen her husband hadreturned. “He came backthat month and he was like,‘It’s real, there are jobs every-

where.’ That changed thingsfor us.”

Isaiah and Grace Dealdecided to take the step,leaving everything theyknew behind. In February2013, Isaiah Deal moved toMinot, with his wife comingjust three weeks later.

“It was tough–we had nofamily in Minot and we’vealways lived close to fami-ly,” she said. “I had neverpictured myself moving toNorth Dakota. It’s one ofthose states that you learnabout in Geography andthat’s pretty much it.”

The Deals sold their RVand fit everything theyowned in their car, settingoff for a future that wasunwritten.

Within just a few days ofliving in Minot, Isaiah Dealreceived a job offer fromCameron International, thecompany he still works fortoday. Within a week, hefound an apartment.

“I feel like it snowedevery day the first month Igot here,” Isaiah said with alaugh. “We definitely had tolearn to adjust to this weath-er, even though it’s almostimpossible to adjust toweather this cold.”

Still, he said, the jobopportunities make the

frigid weather worth it. “It was so refreshing to

not be an outsider for want-ing to work hard,” saidIsaiah Deal. “We both grewup in hardworking familiesand a lot of economies nowdon’t fit that mindset. Buthere, it’s different.”

His wife smiled. “Minotkind of embodies the origi-nal American dream ofworking hard for a new life,and a better future.”

When his wife moved upshortly afterward sheworked at a variety of jobs,mainly to meet people andhave fun, she said. Less thanone year ago, the Deals hadtheir first child–a beautifulbaby girl and a natural-bornNorth Dakotan.

“There’s something neatabout having a kid up hereand starting a family,” saidGrace Deal. “We really dolove Minot.”

While the Deals said theywould probably not havepicked oil as their future,they said it’s worked out bet-ter than they could havehoped. They have evenencouraged friends and fam-

ily to move to Minot as well. “We told my cousin

about the job opportunitiesup here,” said Isaiah Deal.“He came to Minot with 14dollars in his bank account,and now he’s makingupwards of 50,000 dollars ayear.” He continued, “A lotof people think that the typeof people who come up heredon’t have jobs and can’tfind them anywhere else.Well, it’s also a lot ofyounger people who justwant to start a new life; peo-ple who will take thatchance and that risk forsomething better.”

When asked how theirlives would be different ifthe Deals hadn’t taken thatchance and that risk in mov-ing to Minot, they answeredthat they would probably bedoing just fine, but with thedistinctive community,unique opportunities andsweet people that Minot hasto offer, they wouldn’t benearly as happy. They bothplan on staying in Minot foryears to come, a place theynow confidently call theirhome.

“People from Minot caneither have a negative viewof oil or embrace it–embracethe changes and all of thegrowth. It’s great to see howmuch the people here havechosen to accept the newpeople and new things,because we were one ofthem,” said Grace Deal.“Minot is such a melting pot,it reminds me of whatAmerica was for immi-grants. Being able to be apart of that and the growth isonce in a lifetime.”

During events like theGold Rush and the oil boomof North Dakota, peopleoften hear numbers. Thingslike a still-low 2.8 percentunemployment rate inMinot in 2014 and a project-ed 11 percent growth ineconomy-wide employmentin the next three years. Whatis not often shared is thateach of these numbers is aperson, a family with quick-ening hearts and fast-paceddreams that left behind anRV and a life in order to starttheir own. Minot may begrowing, but its people aregrowing with it.

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Minot Daily News PROGRESS

Saturday, April 11, 2015 Oil & Gas Impact

Marissa Howard/MDN

Isaiah and Grace Deal pose with their 1-year-old daughter. The young couple moved to Minot in 2013 because of the con-tinued opportunity from the oil boom.

‘Minot kind of embodies the original American dream of workinghard for a new life, and a better future.’– Grace Deal, family member who traveled to Minot for the oil boom

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A few of the cranes used in constructing Williston’s wastewater treatment plant are on site as construction was under way in early March.

Williston tackles its biggest projectBy JILL SCHRAMM

Staff [email protected]

WILLISTON – A new $105 mil-lion wastewater treatment facilityunder construction in Willistonrepresents a giantstep for the city.

“This is thebiggest project thecity has everdone,” publicworks directorDavid Tuan said.

Despite thesubstantial cost,the city has forged ahead becauseit must.

“We are over capacity. There’sno way we could not build it,”Tuan said.

The present lagoon systemtreats for total suspended solids,biochemical oxygen and E. coliand has been adequate for the cityfor many years.

“It’s low maintenance,” Tuansaid, “and very effective, but youhave to provide the right amountof time for that treatment, andthat’s our limiting factor.”

Wastewater needs to spend 180days in the lagoon system for prop-er treatment. The wastewater thatthe city generates from an estimat-ed 30,000 to 35,000 people is hav-ing to move through in 45 days tomake room for the incoming vol-ume.

To address that deficiency,

Williston invested $7 million intoadditional treatment before dis-charge as an interim measure.Those improvements will beincorporated into the new waste-water treatment facility.

The wastewater facility is beingbuilt to process six million gallonsof wastewater a day, which wouldaccommodate a population up to60,000. The plant will be expand-able to serve a population of120,000, although that is beyondwhat Williston predicts for growthin the foreseeable future.

The new wastewater facilityhas been three years in the design.Some aspects related to dischargeinto the Missouri River took up tofive years and required workingwith the U.S. Corps of Engineers.

Construction started inOctober. The city looks for com-pletion by 2017. Portions of theplant gradually will come on linesooner, starting at the end of thisyear.

The plant will process thewastewater to a higher degree,treating for ammonia, phosphorusand other elements as well asusing ultraviolet light disinfection.

“That process is miles more effi-cient than what we have now,”Tuan said.

Solids that are produced by theplant are further processed andbroken down into a clarified liq-uid, which is sent back throughthe treatment process. This recy-cling is continually repeated,

reducing the solids many times.Eventually, the end product isdried and pressed.

The city plans to use the com-pressed solids as topsoil for thelandfill and will seek to market itas a soil fertilizer. It is desirable asfertilizer for corn but may not be asvaluable for other crops more com-monly grown in western NorthDakota, Tuan said. However, peo-ple may be interested in the prod-uct for gardens.

“It’s safe to go back in theground,” Tuan said.

AE2S, the engineering firminvolved in the design, also isworking with the city on its watertreatment plant.

The creation of Western AreaWater Supply brought variouswater providers in the regiontogether to create a system servedby the Williston water plant. Theplant’s expansion has been ongo-ing since.

The plant currently produces14 million gallons of water a day,twice its initial capacity. The latest

expansion will increase the outputto 21 million gallons. Futureexpansion phases would increasethe production to 28 million gal-lons and eventually 35 million gal-lons. At that point, there no longerwill be room at the plant locationfor further expansion, Tuan said.

“We have to figure out a way toget to 50 million,” he said.

The water treatment plant ishelping the city get a head start ontraining employees for its newwastewater facility. The softwareand control systems will be thesame in the two plants so employ-ees can get experience in the waterplant that will translate to thewastewater facility.

Staff size will increase from fiveto 15 to 20 people once the waste-water treatment plant is commis-sioned.

The plant will include a high-tech laboratory. Tuan said the lab-oratory will offer an educationaltool for schools that want to bringstudents to visit.

To fund its wastewater facility,

Williston borrowed from a staterevolving fund. Williston is usingproceeds from its gross productiontax revenue to repay the loan. Thecity auditor’s office reports the cityreceived $33 million from the taxlast year. The drop in oil prices lastyear could affect the receipts goingforward, but the city hopes tocover the bond issue without hav-ing to raise water and sewer rates.

A project the size of the waste-water facility is beyond what canbe paid for through rates, Tuansaid.

“Even if we increased our ratesto be the highest in the state, itwould be a drop in the bucket,” hesaid.

Wastewater treatment may notbe the most exciting way to spendmoney, nor will the new treatmentlikely be noticeable for residentsonce it comes on line. But that is agood thing. The plant is designedto ensure residents can run waterand flush toilets as they alwayshave without giving a secondthought to whether the system willtake the waste and keep the envi-ronment safe.

“Day to day, people won’t knowit’s there and they, hopefully,won’t notice the change in theirservice when we make the transi-tion,” Tuan said. “It’s definitelygoing to provide the treatment weneed and then some. ... It’s anachievement for the city ofWilliston to have a system that’sthis capable.”

Tuan

‘We are over capacity. There’sno way we could not build it.’

— Williston public works director David Tuan


@minotdailynews.com

Dennis Nelson remem-bers the $2.5 million budgetthat the Williams CountyHighway Office operatedunder when he joined thedepartment as superintend-ent in 2005.

This year, the budget isabout $100 million.

It’s not a figure Nelsonsees going down anytimesoon. Even though many of

the roads have been upgrad-ed to handle the oil traffic,just maintaining roads ismuch more intensive thanin years past, he said.

Nelson said the county’supgrades have given all resi-dents better roads on whichto drive. State funding hashelped make that possible.

“We are very thankful forwhat we have gotten so farfrom the Legislature. Theyhave come through in thepast,” he said.

Arlo Borud, MountrailCounty commission chair-

man in Stanley, estimatedhis county’s road budget hasincreased 300 percent overthe past several years.Mountrail County hasrebuilt and repaved roads,bringing them up to thesame weight standards asstate roads.

“It’s not only just for theoil but it helps our agricul-tural farmers and ranchers,too,” Borud said. “We arestill behind quite a ways. Wejust haven’t had the fundingto do all the projects that areneeded to be done.”

The emergency funding,

or “surge” funding,approved by the Legislatureand signed by the governorat the end of February, willprovide about $38 million. Itis less than hoped butenough to get three or fourpriorities funded, Borudsaid.

“We have about $99 mil-lion worth of projects allready to go,” he said.

Mountrail County has1,600 miles of road system,which now includes 50 to 70miles of township roadstaken over by the county inthe past three years. Thetownships turned thosemain haul roads for the oiltraffic over to the county,which is better able to fundthe improvements.

McKenzie County willapply its surge money topaving a gravel road in thenorthern end of the countythat carries much of the traf-fic involved in the oil indus-try. Known as the northernbypass, the project wouldupgrade the existing curvy,rough road that runs fromU.S. Highway 85 to the east.

The two-year, $101 mil-lion project covers nearly 30miles. The first half is sched-uled to be done this year.

The county has a $191million budget for roads thisyear, but even more moneyis being spent on highwayconstruction by the state totry to keep up with the activ-ity as it develops around thecounty, said McKenzieCounty CommissionChairman Richard Cayko,Fairview, Mont. One ofthose projects will need to beimprovements to the nar-row, two-lane N.D.Highways 200 and 58,which will be pressured toserve traffic associated witha new rail transloading facil-ity on the western edge of

the county, he said.The southern and west-

ern areas of Ward Countyare experiencing heavytruck traffic related to oilactivity, while the easternpart of the county facesheavy construction trafficdue to growth, said DanaLarsen, county highwayengineer.

The county has increasedblading from every couple ofweeks to twice a week inareas, he said. Althoughbuilt to last 20 years, thecounty road throughKenmare was overhauledafter just 12.

“A lot of our roadsdesigned to have 20 years oflife are only making it 10,”Larsen said. “The amount oftraffic has been what weanticipated for 20 years.Another big impact we see isthat our projects sometimescost 30 to 40 percent more.”

The high cost of roadrepairs has meant a combi-nation of delayed projectsand greater dependence onstate aid. Larsen said WardCounty had been on aschedule to redo all its grav-el roads to bring them up tocurrent road standards untilseveral years ago. Theschedule was interrupted bymore urgent needs.

Flooding issues havedrained about $7 million inlocal funds from the roadbudget. Fortunately for thecounty, the federal govern-ment provided about 80 per-cent of the needed funds forflood repairs.

Larsen said increasedmoney from the state hasbeen significant in keepingup with the road repairs.The county has few oil wellsso generates little oil tax rev-enue and much of what itgets goes to help affectedtownships.

“I think we have done agood job of trying to makethe best decisions we canwith the money we have andmaking it stretch to where Ithink our roads are in prettygood condition,” Larsensaid.

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Jill Schramm/MDN

Looking at a Ward County map, highway engineer Dana Larsen points out an area near Kenmare, where the county completed major roadwork lastconstruction season.

Jill Schramm/MDN

A couple of pickups head toward U.S. Highway85 on a rural road in northern McKenzie CountyMarch 11. The county has plans to improve theroad to better handle oil-related traffic.

Counties spending more on roads‘It’s not only just for the oil but it helps our agricultural farmers

and ranchers, too. We are still behind quite a ways. We justhaven’t had the funding to do all the projects that are needed tobe done.’

— Arlo Borud, Mountrail County commission chairman


@minotdailynews.com

WILLISTON –Downtown Williston isdetermined not to be left outof the growth occurring inthe city.

Planning for the down-town’s future began in 2012.

“The downtown planlooks at the feel of the down-town – how we create morepedestrian-friendly areasand how we look at develop-ment projects. It also talks alittle about streetscape andphysical feel of downtown,”said Rachel Ressler, seniorplanner for the city.

Last summer, physicalwork started with replace-ment of water and sewer andstreet changes on about twoand half blocks of MainStreet in the downtown area.Public Works director DavidTuan said the project wasmore complicated than orig-inally expected because ofissues such as buildingstructures that extended outunder the street. However,the city was able to workwith businesses to create aslittle disruption as possibleduring the construction, hesaid.

Another three blocks ofMain Street will undergosimilar work this year tocomplete the project.

The North DakotaDepartment ofTransportation, city andlocal parking authority allhave been involved in theproject. The Main Street

plan was developed with thehelp of RDG Planning andDesign of Omaha and DesMoines and KLJ, an engi-neering firm with an officein Williston.

Instead of two drivinglanes going in either direc-tion, the changes have onelane in each direction and acenter turn lane. With paral-lel parking on the side of thestreet, the result was widerlanes and a better drivingexperience.

In addition, the projectadded colored concretewalkways, curb bump-outs,new sidewalk and lighting.Plans are to add trees andplanters.

Angela DeMars, owner ofCooks on Main since 2010and president of theWilliston DowntownersAssociation, said merchantswelcome the physicalchanges.

“It’s been a well neededimprovement. I think it real-ly brings our downtown upto date. People are wantingmore of a walkable destina-tion,” she said.

As far as the atmosphere,DeMars said she loves thedowntown.

“I definitely would notchoose to have my businesslocated anywhere else,” shesaid.

Karissa Kjos, executivedirector for WillistonDowntowners Association,said there’s a sense of coop-eration downtown.

“We all want to see eachother succeed,” she said.“We don’t want to competewith each other. We want to

help each other.”Kjos said she likes the

vitality she sees restored todowntown, too.

“It’s nice to see the spirit,”she said. “It’s a very friendlyatmosphere.” The feeling ofsafety has increased, andbeautification efforts arescheduled and will follow,she said.

“I think it will be greatonce it is completely done.More people like to hang outin the downtown. It’s allgenerations,” she said.“Downtown is where lots ofthings are happening.”

Part of what is happeningis new construction thatstarted last fall on the $15million Renaissance onMain mixed-use project. Thebuilding will have retail onthe main floor, offices on thesecond floor and two floorsof apartments, with interiorparking. The large project isthe exception downtown,though.

“What I see mostly issmaller businesses comingin,” Ressler said. “We have alot of smaller investmentshappening. There’s a lot ofpeople using ourRenaissance Zone funds tofix up their buildings.”

In the last two years, fiverestaurants opened or cameunder new ownership, shesaid. A plaza building wasconverted to retail space forseveral small stores.

Kjos estimated as manyas 10 new business havecome to downtown in thepast five years, including

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Jill Schramm/MDN

A section of Williston’s Main Street was reconstructed with new underground infrastructure, paving and lighting in 2014. At left, a new mixed-use build-ing is going up.

Downtown Williston getting updated look‘The downtown plan looks at the feel of the

downtown – how we create more pedestrian-friendly areas and how we look at develop-ment projects. It also talks a little aboutstreetscape and physical feel of downtown.’

— Rachel Ressler, senior planner for Williston

See TOWN — Page 9


@minotdailynews.com

The completion of a truckreliever route in Willistonthis year will check anotherproject off the list of statehighway improvementsplanned in western NorthDakota. But there is plenty ofconstruction yet to come,including additional truckreliever routes proposednear New Town andWilliston.

The North DakotaDepartment ofTransportation has spentabout $940 million in stateprojects from 2008 to 2012to preserve and improvetransportation infrastructurein western counties and isinvesting an additional$1.16 billion in the 2013-2015 biennium.

The 2015 Legislature put$450 million of work on thefast track in a surge bill inFebruary.

The Department ofTransportation reports itplans to use the surgemoney toward projects that,in western North Dakota,include enhancing load-car-rying capacity and restoringpavement on the followinghighways:

®N.D. Highway 23 fromJohnson’s Corner to FortBerthold Reservation

boundary.®U.S. Highway 2

between Williston andMinot and between Minotand Granville.

®U.S. Highway 52 fromJunction 5 to north ofKenmare.

®Highway 52 fromHighway 2 to Sawyer.

®N.D. Highway 41 fromVelva to Norwich.

®N.D. Highway 60 fromthe junction of ND 3 north tothe junction of N.D.Highway 5 by Willow City.

®U.S. Highway 83 nearGarrison Corner to near thejunction of Highway 23.

®U.S. Highway 12 fromHettinger to the state line.

®N.D. Highway 200from the state line to theYellowstone Bridge.

®N.D. Highway 22 fromManning to Killdeer.

® Interstate 94 from thestate line east 12 miles.

® Interstate 94 fromLittle Missouri River east toFryburg.

® Interstate 94 fromTaylor to Youngman’s Butte.

Other surge money willgo to rebuild New Town’sMain Street; Highway 23 inWatford City from the citylimits to the Highway 23Bypass to serve the newschool; and Highway 40from the junction ofHighway 2 to the Tioga over-pass. Some funding will beused for environmentalwork on state highways in

Williston and Watford City.Surge money also is allot-

ted to building truck bypass-es and reliever routes.Funding will go towarddesign, planning, engineer-ing, rights of way, environ-mental and other work onthe Dickinson permanentbypass, Killdeer bypass andthe New Town Northwestand Williston Northeasttruck reliever routes. TheKilldeer bypass is scheduledto go out on constructionbids this spring.

Other projects includeconstruction bid openingson Dickinson’s State Avenuerailroad overpass and trafficsignals at intersections in ornear Dickinson, Alexanderand Watford City.

Past spending by theDepartment ofTransportation already hasled to major changes. Thebypass projects, by commu-nity, are:

WILLISTON

A $56.3 million, 13-mileproject is creating a four-lanehighway routing truck trafficaround the western edge ofWilliston.

The first two phases wascompleted in 2014.Motorists are now travelingon the two lanes completedon the truck reliever route,which directs traffic west ofWilliston and connects withthe current U.S. Highway 85and U.S. Highway 2 inter-section four miles west ofthe city. The route will be

expanded into a four-lanehighway this year.

The project will improvetraffic flow throughWilliston and areas west ofthe city and will help meetthe forecasted trafficdemand for the area.

NEW TOWNThe state, in cooperation

with tribal and local govern-ments, completed a $25 mil-lion truck reliever route



Submitted photo

This map from the North Dakota Department of Transportation shows the phases of construction on a truck reliever route around Williston. The four-laning of the route will be finished this year.

State invests billions in N.D. highways

See ROADS — Page 10


@minotdailynews.com

Whether the topic is fairtrade or clean air, DakotaResource Council’s missionremains the same. The non-profit, grassroots organiza-tion is all about making thevoices of North Dakotansheard.

In that respect, the organ-ization has been successful,said DRC board memberTheodora Bird Bear,Mandaree.

“I would say the success-es are that people are beingempowered to speak out,whether in the Legislature,through letters to the editor,comments on radio pro-grams. People are more will-ing to speak out now. I thinkthat’s a real success,” shesaid.

These days, DRC mem-bers are speaking out aboutthe impacts of oil and gasdevelopment on westernNorth Dakota, particularlyas they affect the land andwater. Members have calledfor better regulation ofradioactive oil-field waste,improved oil and saltwaterpipeline safety andincreased rules for oil trans-port. Bird Bear said peoplehave a need and right toknow when it comes to oilimpacts, whether it involvessiting of a landfill or requir-ing companies to disclosefracking chemicals.

“People want to knowwhat’s going on near themand in western NorthDakota. We love our land.We care for our land. Most ofus will live here all our lives,so we have a commitment tothis land,” she said. “We willjust stand up to protect ourcommitment to this landand to express it and to letthe folks in Bismarck knowtheir decision-makingimpacts western NorthDakota folks – DRC mem-bers – and we want a voicein that decision making.”

The Legislature this yearkilled a bill that reflectedconcerns of some membersthat state regulators are toolax with the oil industry.The bill had sought an auditof the North Dakota HealthDepartment and Oil & GasDivision. Bird Bear said thebill had value even if defeat-ed.

“It was important to makea point that the regulators forNorth Dakota over the oilindustry need to pay atten-tion and that people arewatching,” she said. “Whatthey do or don’t do affects usdirectly out here in westernNorth Dakota.”

DRC started in 1978when landowners fromthree oil and gas countiescame together to addressshared concerns about thelack of surface ownersrights. Nearly every existinglaw granting surface ownerrights came from work thatDRC did, said former DRCchairman Donny Nelson ofKeene.

In recent years, DRCmembers have sensed a pub-lic animosity against thembecause of the group’sstance on issues related tooil development. Labeled aleftwing environmentalgroup, DRC has had policymakers and lawmakers shyaway and become lessinclined to listen to mem-bers’ concerns, Nelson said.The labeling also hurtsefforts to get landowners

involved.“They make it seem like

everybody is an out-of-stateenvironmentalist in DRC,and there really isn’t any. It’sNorth Dakota people,”Nelson said.

DRC as an organizationhas made statements thathave rankled, such as blam-ing North Dakota officials foran oil train explosion inWest Virginia because ofweak state regulations for

managing oil volatility. “Over the top” is how

The Forum in Fargo editori-alized about the DRCresponse. Calling DRC anti-fossil fuels, The Forum saidDRC’s voice is necessary inthe energy debate but it willbe tuned out when it goesfrom informed and meas-ured to foolish and shrill.

Nelson had responded tothe editorial in a letter, say-ing technology is available to

stabilize the oil so it is saferto transport by train – aprocess used in other states.State officials first deniedthe oil is explosive, thenreluctantly imposed weakregulations, he wrote.

“The fact is North Dakotaofficials are allowing anexplosive product to be sentby train across the conti-nent,” he wrote.



Submitted photo

DRC gathered members for one of many events in North Dakota to talk about oil and gas issues and brainstorm ideas toresolve problems for landowners.

Dakota Resource CouncilActivist group has long history of work on landowner

Submitted photo

DRC member Theodora Bird Bear testifies in September 2014 at an oil conditioning hearing held by the North Dakota Industrial Commission andDepartment of Mineral Resources.

See DRC — Page 11


@minotdailynews.com

WILLISTON – Making apractice of celebrating mile-stone growth could keep theatmosphere constantly fes-tive at Mountrail-WilliamsElectric Cooperative. There’slittle time to party, though,with all the activity neces-sary to meet the largedemand for electricity.

The 30-megawatt cooper-ative saw its load increase to200 megawatts by 2013,only to reach 300 megawattsin 2014. The cooperativewas providing 356megawatts as of January andit continues to grow.

“We are probably going tohit 400 megawatts in 2015,”general manager DaleHaugen said.

As a comparison, each ofthe two units at the AntelopeValley generation stationnear Beulah produces 450megawatts. Antelope Valleyis a major source of electric-ity for Basin ElectricCooperative, which providespower to rural cooperativessuch as Mountrail-Williams.

By 2035, MWEC projectsit will need to supply 900megawatts – equivalent toAntelope Valley’s generation– to serve its customers.

“That’s an audaciousgoal,” Haugen said.

The demand for electrici-ty isn’t coming from the tra-ditional customer. Haugen

recalled when 80 percent ofthe electrical demand camefrom farms and residences.Today, 58 percent of thedemand is from large com-mercial customers, primari-ly oil wells and supportingbusinesses. Another 23 per-cent of demand is from nat-ural gas processing plants.Residential use is down to 7percent of the total.

The current slowdown inoil activity due to a drop inoil prices is considered abreather that the cooperativeplans to take advantage ofwhile it can. The growthlong-term isn’t expected tostop, based on informationthe cooperative is hearingfrom its oil-field customers.

“All the oil companies aresaying, ‘Continue to investin infrastructure. Let’s notget behind like we werebefore. Let’s get to where weneed to be,’” Haugen said.

He admits he feels attimes like a constructionmanager with how quicklythe cooperative is growing.

MWEC had 14 substa-tions in 2006. Today thereare 60, including one thatjust serves a gas plant. Thesubstations couldn’t comeon fast enough as the system

struggled on the brink ofoverload until constructioncould catch up. System reli-ability has improved as aresult of that construction.

Before the oil develop-ment ramped up, there wasa need to upgrade 40- to 50-year-old infrastructure, butthe cost to customers wouldhave been too high, Haugensaid. The population wasdeclining. Farms werebecoming fewer. Schoolswere closing.

“If we had to borrow, wecouldn’t have done it,” hesaid.

The oil boom reversedthe population trend andgenerated the finances need-ed to make the improve-ments.

“We almost rebuilt ourwhole system. It’s good foranother 50 years. Rates did-n’t go up,” Haugen said. “Ithas brought this co-op a sec-ond breath of life.”

This year, the cooperativeis putting in 40 miles of newline in the Blaisdell area toserve non-oil customers.That is expected to completeMWEC’s rebuild of its sys-tem.



Jill Schramm/MDN

System operators Eric Bozeman, standing, and Bryan Foust monitor the control room for Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative in the Willistonoffice March 4.

Jill Schramm/MDN

Dale Haugen, general manager at Mountrail-Williams ElectricCooperative, stands outside a large workshop under construction March4. The shop is scheduled for completion in September.

“All the oil companies are saying, ‘Continue to invest in infrastructure. Let’snot get behind like we were before. Let’s get to where we need to be.’”

— Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative general manager Dale Haugen

See MWEC — Page 9



three since last fall. As activity has picked up

downtown, the DowntownersAssociation has needed to recon-sider its parking arrangements.Rich & Associates of Southfield,Mich., conducted a parking study

that is prompting some changes.“We are going to be encourag-

ing our employees to park in ourparking lots, get them off thestreets and allow the streets to beused as customer parking.Hopefully, that will make a big dif-ference in how downtown func-tions,” Ressler said. “We are alsolooking at changing our parkingrequirements.”

Currently, there are no timelimits on street parking. The city isconsidering a limit of 90 minutesto three hours, depending on thestreet, with some unlimited park-ing.

“A parking problem is a goodthing to have because it meanspeople are down here,” Resslersaid

Once the construction and

parking logistics are out of theway, efforts will shift to creating adowntown arts community.

“A lot of that has kind of hap-pened organically over the lastyear,” Ressler said. For instance, aconcert series kicks off this sum-mer with bands, children’s gamesand longer store hours.

“So that should be really excit-ing for the downtown and should

help bring a little bit of sparkback,” Ressler said.

Kjos also would like to seedowntown blossom with murals,more events and greater capitaliza-tion on the history.

As progress is made downtown,the excitement is building, Resslersaid. While there is more thatneeds to be done, she added, “Ithink we have a great thing going.”

TownContinued from Page 5

Jill Schramm/MDN

The first phase of Williston’s Main Street improvement project created wider driving lanes and a more pedestrian-friendly downtown.

Keeping the cooperativestaffed has been another chal-lenge. It has been difficult tofind the number of employeesneeded, and the pressures onemployees can make it hard toretain workers. However, theco-op has attracted employeesfrom around the nation whoare happy in their new com-munity.

Eric Bozeman is an Ohionative who was working inNorth Carolina before comingto MWEC three years ago. Heearned his power systemsdegree from Bismarck StateCollege while working as asystem operator for MWEC.

“I came up here looking toget into a new industry,” hesaid. “It’s been a good place tosettle and learn a new industrythat’s been very vital to thecommunity.”

Systems operator BryanFoust, a Colorado native, cameto Williston in 2010 with hisdog and motorhome justbefore a major snowstorm hit.He survived and stayed.Having worked in thetelecommunications industryin Texas before being laid off,he said he appreciates theopportunities in Williston.

Adam Serna came fromOhio, where he had worked inthe natural gas industry, tohelp MWEC with its mapping.

“I was just looking forsomething new,” he said.“This was probably the bestjob offer.”

Haugen said the coopera-tive should be expanding itsemployment, but first it needsto expand its operational facil-ities. Many of the coopera-tive’s 104 employees work outof modular buildings that siton the headquarters propertynext to a small office building,which has one set of rest-rooms serving the entire com-plex.

The cooperative is buildinga new 82,000-square-foot shopto replace a 6,000-square-foot,outdated shop from the 1950s.The building is scheduled forcompletion in September.

A new office building is inthe design phase. To constructthe building on the currentproperty, the cooperative willhave to move to rented quar-ters temporarily so the exist-ing building can be torn downand a new building erected.The new building is expectedto be ready in 2019.

MWECContinued from Page 8

BISMARCK — The oil and gasindustry has seen its economic out-put rise by 750 percent to $43 bil-lion since 2005, according to astudy conducted by the NorthDakota State University’sDepartment of Agribusiness andApplied Economics.

The study also found that theindustry directly supported 55,137full-time equivalent jobs and sup-ported another 26,403 secondaryfull-time jobs. This increase repre-sents the growing importance oiland gas development has on thestate’s overall economic health.

“This study helps confirm thatthe petroleum industry is one of thelargest basic-sector industries inNorth Dakota,” said DeanBangsund, co-author of the studyand research scientist for thedepartment at NDSU. “Althoughactivity is concentrated in the west-ern part of the state, the magnitudeof the contributions to both thestate and local governments andthe sheer volume of secondary eco-nomic effects in nearly all sectors ofthe North Dakota economy wouldsuggest that the economic effects ofthe industry are felt statewide.”

Because the industry relies onhundreds of contractors and sub-contractors, the economic contribu-tions extend beyond the miningand extraction industries.According to the study, retail tradeonce again saw the largest impact,taking in $11.3 billion of the $43billion. Households, or personalincome, saw the second-largestimpact at $9.3 billion, and theFinance, Insurance and Real Estateindustry ($4.5 billion) overtook thegovernment ($4.4 billion), whichwas the third-largest beneficiary in2011. More than six other indus-tries in North Dakota also benefitedfrom oil and gas development.

“The positive impacts of oil andgas development extend far beyondjust the energy industry, and bene-fit many of our small and inde-pendent businesses in the oil patchand across the state,” said Rae AnnKelsch, state director of the NorthDakota chapter of the NationalFederation of IndependentBusiness. “This is great news, butwhat is perhaps more exciting forour organization and members isthe fact that the $43 billion onlyrepresents 48 percent of the totaleconomic output. That means thereis a demand for services within thestate that our members can begintaking a look at and capitalizing

upon to keep even more of thosedollars here in our state.”

Among the study’s key findings:®The oil and gas industry gen-

erated $43 billion for NorthDakota’s economy: In 2013, directimpacts of the oil and gas industrywere $17 billion and secondaryimpacts were $25.7 billion for atotal of $43 billion in businessactivity. For every dollar spent inthe state by the oil and gas industry,another $1.43 in additional busi-ness activity was generated.

®The oil and gas industry cre-ated more than 80,000 jobsstatewide: The study reveals thatthe oil and gas industry’s economicimportance to the state includesdirect employment for 55,137 full-time jobs and secondary employ-ment of 26,403 full-time equivalentjobs.

®The industry contributed $9.3billion in economy-wide personalincome: The study reveals that theoil and gas industry contributed$9.3 billion in economy-wide per-sonal income, including $1.425 bil-lion in in-state private royalties and$300 million in lease bonuses. Thisis a 382 percent increase since2005.

The oil and gas industry gener-ated $4.4 billion in governmentrevenues: According to the study,the oil and gas industry generated atotal of $4.4 billion in governmentrevenues, including:

® $2.9 billion in gross produc-tion and severance taxes;

® $654 million in royalties,including $304 million in state roy-alties, $349 million in federal royal-ties, including tribal royalties;

® $49.6 million in state leasebonuses, and $4.1 million in feder-al lease bonuses that were returnedto the state;

® $62.6 million in direct salesand use taxes;

® $50.5 million in corporateand personal income taxes;

® $54.6 million in licenses, per-mits, and fees;

® $12.5 million in charitabledonations;

® $322.3 million in indirectstate government general tax col-lections.

®The oil and gas industry sup-ported $28.5 billion in non-indus-try business activity: The oil andgas industry benefited other indus-tries and sectors statewide, includ-ing $11.3 billion in statewide retailsales; $4.5 billion in finance, insur-ance and real estate; $2.8 billion inbusiness and personal services;$2.3 billion in communicationsand public utilities; $2.2 billion inprofessional and social services;$1.8 billion in construction; $1.5billion in other sectors (various agand mining); $1.3 billion in manu-facturing; and, $838 million intransportation.

The North Dakota PetroleumCouncil has commissioned thestudy each biennium since 2005,and economic benefits have risendramatically. Economic impacts

have grown by 750 percent sincethe first study in 2005. State andlocal government revenues grew bymore than $3.73 billion — or 1,150percent — since 2005, while indus-try-wide direct employment grewby 992 percent from 5,051 in 2005to 56,137 in 2013.

“We’ve seen a dramatic growthin production, and along with it, adramatic growth in the economiccontributions and associated jobcreation,” said Ron Ness, presidentof the NDPC. “Obviously, as pricesdecrease, the benefits previouslyenjoyed by the state government,households and other industrieswill be much lower as we workthrough the current price drop – nodoubt impacts many are beginningto feel. We must be cautious to notfurther hinder these positive eco-nomic impacts through onerous orunnecessary regulation.”

The study was conducted byresearch scientist Dean Bangsundand Nancy Hodur, research assis-tant professor at the NDSUDepartment of Agribusiness andApplied Economics. Bangsund andHodur surveyed firms engaged inexploration and development,extraction and production, trans-portation, and processing of crudeoil and natural gas. Data that wasmeasured in this study but notincluded in previous surveys wasan assessment of capital expendi-tures for infrastructure projects. Toview the full study, ageconsearch.umn.edu/.

Oil and gas economic output increases 750 percent since

Big bucks in the Basin‘The positive impacts of oil and gas developmentextend far beyond just the energy industry, and benefitmany of our small and independent businesses in the oilpatch and across the state. This is great news, but whatis perhaps more exciting for our organization and mem-bers is the fact that the $43 billion only represents 48percent of the total economic output. That means there isa demand for services within the state that our memberscan begin taking a look at and capitalizing upon to keepeven more of those dollars here in our state.’

– Rae Ann Kelsch, state director of the NorthDakota chapter of the National Federation

of Independent Business


@minotdailynews.com

As the population inwestern North Dakota hasgrown, the need for morewastewater handling capaci-ty has become a commonconcern. Most oil patchcommunities have or will begrappling with it.

John Grubb, sewer andwater commissioner on theTioga City Commission, saidhis city has been consideringa new wastewater system forthe past two years. The situ-ation is approaching severe,he said.

Tioga has been updatingits existing lagoon systemand hopes to build a waste-water treatment plant thatwould incorporate thelagoon as storage. The citydoesn’t have the populationbase to support a project ascostly as needed, though,and the amount of state andoil impact aid coming to thesmaller communities isn’tenough to help, Grubb said.

A typical treatment facili-ty for a community ofTioga’s size is in the range of$8 million, which is just aportion of close to $20 mil-lion in infrastructure proj-ects that Grubb estimates areneeded by the city.

Added to the financialconcern is the puzzle ofdetermining the best treat-ment solution. There aremultiple options, and thecommission has been cau-tious in choosing.

“Just making the rightdecision is a big challenge,”Grubb said.

“It seems we are alwaystwo steps behind regardlessof what we do,” he added.“We are hoping we canmove forward by spring orsummer. We can’t wait thatmuch longer.”

Ross Mayor Wyatt Seibelsaid his community, havinggrown from about 50 resi-

dents to between 500 and600, has been experiencingwastewater issues for sometime. An industrial develop-ment permitted to houseworkers has its own drain-field disposal, but the cityhas been hoping to accom-modate that waste with anew lagoon system.

“We were looking atbuilding an entirely differentlagoon but we can never getenough funding for it,”Seibel said. “We finally got$1 million to build a muchlarger lagoon, but it will costus $3 million to build it.”

The $1 million camefrom a state oil impact grant.

“We fought for quite awhile just to get that,” Seibelsaid.

The city of Ross this win-ter was reviewing itsoptions, which includedsimply de-sludging anddraining the existing lagoon.The city was working earlierthis year to get an easementfrom a landowner to dis-charge water.

The City of Minot, withalready the highest utilityrates in the state, is lookingat investing $66.5 million inwater-related infrastructurein the near future. Minot isin the middle of majorexpansions and upgrades toseveral sewer systems and islooking at construction of a$77 million wastewatertreatment facility to replaceits lagoon and wetlands sys-tem, constructed in the1960s. The first phase of theproject, costing more than$47.5 million, is proposedfor construction within acouple of years.

Wayne Kern, director ofMunicipal Facilities in theNorth Dakota HealthDepartment, said the num-ber of wastewater projectssubmitted to his division forreview has more than dou-bled since 2010. The depart-ment reviews all proposedprojects, whether submittedby cities, work camps or

other developments.Kern noted the increase

reflects projects statewide.However, he added, “Thebulk of these are comingfrom the western part of the

state.”Additionally, Kern said

the department finds morecommunities movingtoward mechanical treat-ment versus lagoon systems.

Mechanical treatment oftenis limited to communitiesthat have a river system ableto assimilate the discharged,treated water.

The health departmentoperates a revolving loanprogram for wastewater andstorm sewers and has seendollar requests for assistancefrom that fund increase five-fold in the last four years.

“Historically, we havealways been able to fund a

project that’s already to go.It’s our hope to continue todo that. We do have the abil-ity to sell bonds and leverageto get more money to assistcommunities,” Kern said.

The long list of projectsand funding requests indi-cates plenty of constructionactivity lies ahead.

“Everything is set up tokeep things very busy for anumber of years to come,”Kern said.

Sister is coming back to Minot!

Sister Rolls the Dice! the latest class in the sinfully funny Catechism series. Sister will tackle topics ranging from Magicians and live animal acts to the dangers of drive-through marriage chapels. Don t forget: What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas but God sees everything!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015 * 7:30 pm Ann Nicole Nelson Hall, Minot State University 500 University Ave W, Minot, ND 58703 Tickets: $40 Show sponsored by St. Therese, Church of the Little Flower For tickets or information: Phone 701-838-1520 Or online at www.LateNiteCatechism.com



More people means more wastewater concerns

around New Town in 2014, re-routing traffic from N.D. Highway23 around the northeast of the city.An estimated 9,000 vehicles trav-eled through the heart of NewTown each day before the 3.2-milebypass opened.

The New Town Truck RelieverRoute is a two-lane roadway com-pleted last November. Finish workremains to be done during the cur-rent construction season.

Crews also worked on improve-ments to N.D. Highway 1804 in2014. Paving, widening and inter-

section work was completed fromHighway 1804 south to the junc-tion of Highway 23. This projectalso included reconstruction of theintersection, paving, new intersec-tion signals and an additional cen-ter turn lane on Highway 1804.

This year, the state and cityplan improvements to Main Street.

ALEXANDER

The $24.9 million AlexanderBypass opened last October. The3.7-mile, four-lane roadway re-routes traffic from U.S. Highway85 to the west of Alexander,bypassing the center of the town.Traffic counts had estimated

about 12,000 vehicles, mainlytrucks, were traveling throughAlexander each day.

The state and local project ispart of a larger plan to enhancethe Highway 85 corridor, includ-ing the four-laning from WatfordCity to Williston. The first 14-mile segment opened in August2014 from west of Watford City tojust south of Alexander. The proj-ect is to include replacement ofthe Lewis & Clark Bridge over theMissouri River near Williston.

WATFORD CITY

The Watford City Bypass proj-ect consists of a Southwest

Bypass and a Southeast Bypass. The Southwest Bypass is a

four-lane roadway that beginswest of Watford City on Highway85 and reconnects with Highway85 south of the city. The 7.58-mile bypass project includedgrading, paving and wideningand was completed in the fall of2014.

The Southeast Bypass projectconnects Highway 23 east ofWatford City to Highway 85south of Watford City. Thebypass project was built toaccommodate four lanes of trafficand is nearly six miles long.

Nearly 3,900 trucks were trav-eling through Watford City each

day before the bypasses werecompleted last October.

The Department ofTransportation and Watford Cityworked together to install addi-tional roadway light structures onthe Highways 85 and 23 corridor.

DICKINSON

The city of Dickinson, StarkCounty and state are consideringthe construction of a truck routeon the northwest side ofDickinson, from Interstate 94 toN.D. Highway 22. An interimbypass was built in 2013-14 andan interchange project started lastyear, to be completed this year.

Submitted photo

State, city and tribal officials cut the ribbon a new truck reliever route at New Town last November.

RoadsContinued from Page 6

‘We were looking at building an entirely dif-ferent lagoon but we can never get enoughfunding for it. We finally got $1 million to build amuch larger lagoon, but it will cost us $3 millionto build it.’

— Ross Mayor Wyatt Seibel

At the time, the state wasfurther looking at rules forhauling crude and on April 1began requiring companies toremove certain liquids andgases from oil before it’sloaded onto rail cars. Theaction that had been advocat-ed by DRC.

DRC doesn’t want to dam-age the oil industry, Nelsonsaid.

“That’s never going to hap-pen. None of us are wanting itto go away. We just wantthem to do it better,” he said.“That’s all most of theseissues are is trying to make itbetter. There’s better ways ofdoing things, not to just head-long rush into things thecheapest way or the easiestway. We have to think aboutthe future.”

DRC views itself from theperspective of its history ofsupport for landowners andfarmers.

DRC was active in theMinot area in the 1990s whenit helped residents organize toprotect their interests after aSawyer landfill opened toaccept out-of-state waste. Amajor accomplishment was

having General Motors’ wasteremoved when it was deter-mined it was not an approvedwaste for the landfill,Trechock said.

Those area residentshelped start a Souris Valleychapter of DRC, which laterdisbanded. Among thegroup’s activities had beenurging local groceries to insti-tute country-of-origin label-ing on meats.

During the 1980s andearly 1990s when the oilindustry was in bust mode,DRC focused on agriculturalissues, such as geneticallymodified wheat andCanadian wheat and cattleimports. Nelson recalled Gov.Jack Dalrymple, then chair-man of Dakota Pasta Growers,standing at the Canadian bor-der with DRC to protestwheat imports.

DRC led a border protestover wheat imports fromCanada, which farmers con-sidered to be market dump-

ing, aimed at lowering com-modity prices. Spring wheatfarmers were successful ingetting a settlement in an anti-dumping lawsuit through theNorth American Free TradeAgreement.

Mark Trechock ofDickinson, DRC director from1993 to 2012, said the biggestissue for DRC in the 1990swas genetically modifiedwheat. He recalled DRC fight-ing alongside other farmgroups for three legislativesessions before Monsantobacked away from sellingmodified wheat seed.Farmers opposed geneticallymodified wheat because ofthe potential devastation toforeign markets, which wererefusing the wheat.

“Our job was to primarilyorganize the farmers, and wehad farmers all over the statewho were very concernedabout the loss of income thatwould come about. I thinkthat was the biggest victory

we ever had was to keep GMwheat out because it wasgoing to be a terrible fiscaltragedy for our wheat farm-ers,” Trechock said.

In 1996, DRC presented apetition to the U.S. Secretaryof Agriculture to protest con-solidation and price manipu-lation in the cattle slaughterindustry. The attempt to exerta national influence wasn’teffective, but supply anddemand has influenced someimprovement over the years,Trechock said.

“We haven’t cured theproblem yet, but at least wemade it so we can make a liv-ing,” Nelson added.

DRC hasn’t resolved allthe issues related to oil

impacts, either. Decadessince first starting the conver-sation, DRC still is talkingabout property setbacks forwells and reclamation bond-ing. Those issues get over-shadowed, though, by DRC’sefforts to restrict radioactivewaste disposal and set rulesto prevent exploding oiltrains.

“There’s nothing reallyradical about any of that,”Nelson said. “None of that isreally radical if you just sitwith people and talk to themabout it.”

Even so, spurring publicinvolvement is an even biggerchallenge for DRC than win-ning over policy makers.Nelson said times have

changed since the days whenpeople met together toaddress their concerns. Thesedays, people are less likely toget involved and particularlyaren’t inclined to attend meet-ings. DRC is learning to adjustits strategies and use newmethods in modern culture toengage the younger genera-tion.

Bird Bear said DRC recog-nizes that the building blockfor change in North Dakotaremains the relationshipbetween people. AlthoughDRC has a few paid staff, thebulk of the work is done bythrough the grassroots rela-tionships of volunteers.

“DRC is led by the peo-ple,” she said. “The membersare the driving force in howDRC is going to focus its ener-gy and its strength.”

Nelson added the value inpeople coming togetherhasn’t changed.

“You just get four or fivecommitted people, and youcan change the whole direc-tion,” he said.



break down the waste, but even that has notbeen enough. Treated wastewater ends upbeing discharged earlier than the city wouldlike as it strives to meet the discharge quali-ty standard in its permit from the NorthDakota Health Department.

“We are still meeting the limits of thepermit, but barely,” Smith said.

Continuing to increase the size of thelagoon system is not practical, Smith said.To be of adequate size, the massive lagoonswould be unaffordable at land prices thathave inflated enormously in recent years, hesaid.

So the next evolution for the system ismechanical treatment.

“The plant that we are constructing rightnow will only replace our existing treatmentsystem. It doesn’t give us any additionalcapacity,” Smith said.

That is why as soon as the plant is built,the city will start a second phase to doublethe capacity. The first phase is designed toaccommodate a population of 7,500 people,based on average use. Because Watford Cityhas a significant amount of high-densityhousing, the average use per household like-ly is lower, which means the capacity of thesystem may stretch beyond 7,500 residents.

However, even with the second phase ofconstruction to bring capacity up to 15,000residents, the plant may not be big enough inthe long run.

“There’s a whole another wave of poten-tial development on the horizon that willblow this out of the water,” Smith said.

The latest population forecast for the cityis 20,000 to 25,000 people.

A study is under way for another waste-water treatment facility at a different loca-tion.

City engineer Todd Kelley said the gravi-ty flow within the city has been toward thelagoons, where the wastewater treatmentplant is being built. But the city is growing tothe south, which is at a similar elevation asthe wastewater facilities. To avoid theexpense of having to pump sewage from thesouth end of the community to the plant, thecity wants to construct a separate plant inthat area.

Another issue in the study is how muchdischarge Cherry Creek can handle from twoplants, Kelley said.

“That’s going to determine the amount oftreatment the effluent would need to go

through,” he said.Watford City set a precedent when it

received a health department permit for itswastewater facility under construction.Typically, mechanical wastewater facilitiesdischarge into rivers that have flows capableof taking treated wastewater. Watford City isthe first in the state to get a permit for anintermittent stream, Cherry Creek.

To meet the environmental standardsand avoid degrading the water quality inCherry Creek, Watford City added an addi-tional process in its treatment to ensure ade-quate oxygen in the discharge stream so noharm occurs to aquatic life.

AE2S designed the city’s plant, and RiceLake Construction Group began building lastfall.

The plant will have a pre-treatment sys-tem that removes solids before the waste-water goes into a mixing tank for nitrogenremoval. The wastewater then moves to anoxidation ditch, where it circulates and bac-terial digestion occurs. From there, thewastewater flows into a clarifier, wheresolids sink and are removed for more pro-cessing. The existing aeration ponds willbecome sludge-holding ponds. The waste-water eventually is chlorinated and aeratedbefore discharge.

Kelley said the plant’s design can easilybe modified for any stricter discharge quali-ty standards that might come into play in thefuture.

To staff the first phase of the new opera-tion, the city expects to add an extra halfposition in its water and sewer department.The department now has three full-time peo-ple, plus some part-time summer help.

Watford City obtained a $19 million loanfrom the State Revolving Loan Fund for thefirst phase of wastewater plant construction.The city placed an assessment fee on newconnections that raised $3 million for theconstruction in its first year in 2014, accord-ing to the city auditor’s office. The city alsoplans to use its oil and gas gross productiontax to help pay off the loan.

Sewer rates for residents have increasedslightly, largely to keep up with operationalcosts.

The city’s wastewater needs are just aportion of more than $140 million in infra-structure projects the city figures it needs tokeep up with growth over the next five years.

“Anticipating the growth we are talkingabout, we tried to take a look at what facili-ties we are going to need to handle thatgrowth,” Kelley said. “We are trying to getahead of the curve as much as we can.”

GrowContinued from Page 1

Submitted photo

DRC member Brenda Jorgenson drives in the Tioga area to show a film crew the many impacts that she and her husband, Richard, have dealt withon family farm land due to oil activity.

DRCContinued from Page 7

‘That’s never going to happen. None of us are wanting it to go away. We just wantthem to do it better. That’s all most of these issues are is trying to make it better.There’s better ways of doing things, not to just headlong rush into things the cheapestway or the easiest way. We have to think about the future.’

— Former DRC chairman Donny Nelson of Keene, on the perception that theorganization wants to harm the oil industry.

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While the Minot Public School District has been on the fringes of the Bakken oil development, it has still experienced the effects.During the 2013-2014 school year there were 24 portable classrooms in use in the school district, with three at Bel Air Elementary, two at PerkettElementary, two at Edison Elementary, one at McKinley Elementary, three at Sunnyside Elementary, nine at Washington Elementary and four at JimHill Middle School.

Voters were asked to approve a $125.5 million bond issue in December 2013, which failed to pass. Three months later, in April 2014, votersapproved a scaled back $39.9 million bond issue, which will be used to fund construction of a new elementary school in southeast Minot and newadditions at Edison and Perkett elementaries, as well as safety and security improvements at all of the schools.

The Edison classroom addition, pictured here, is under construction and is scheduled to be completed in time for the start of school this fall.Work on the Perkett Elementary addition and on the new elementary school will begin this spring. Both projects are set to be completed in time forthe start of the 2016-2017 school year.

The goal of the new school construction was to reduce the number of students attending classes in portable classrooms. – Information and photos by Andrea Johnson

Schools catching up

progress - oil impact

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