NEWSROCKY BOY’S / NORTH

CENTRAL MONTANA REGIONAL WATER SYSTEM PROJECT

IN THIS ISSUE:

Federal Funding Related Activities

Core System Water Treatment Plant

Land Acquisition Update

Candidates For Governor Tour The Rocky Boy’s/NCMRWS Project

Core System Pipeline Progress

Third Quarter 2012

Check out the Rocky Boy’s / North Central Montana Regional Water System Project Web Site: http://www.rockyboynorthcentral.com/

Representatives of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation and the North Central Montana Regional Water Authority (NCMRWA) have been actively following recent devel-opments involving the receipt of future Federal funding. Rocky Boy’s Reservation Chairman Bruce SunChild and NCMRWA General Manager Mary Heller travelled to Washington, D.C. in support of Senate Bill 3385 (S.3385) in July. On July 16, 2012, Senator Max Baucus introduced S.3385 to appropriate $80 million annually in each fis-cal year from 2013 through 2029 for the purpose of completing authorized rural water projects administered by the Bureau of Reclamation. The bill was co-sponsored by Senator Tester and seven other members of the United States Senate from Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota. At the request of the Senate Com-

mittee on Energy and Natural Resources, Chairman SunChild provided testimony on behalf of the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Montana Regional Water System Project during a hearing for S.3385 on July 31, 2012.

With respect to how the $80 million would be distributed to authorized rural water projects if S.3385 is approved, the Bureau of Reclamation requested com-ments on the draft Rural Water Assessment Report and Proposed Construction Funding Criteria. The notice was published on July 9, 2012, with comments due on September 10, 2012. The op-portunity to review the criteria used to allocate funding offered a much needed perspective on the statistics and corresponding weighting factors that determine how Federal appropriations have been awarded in the past. However, the opportunity to

provide comments on how those and other potential criteria should be considered moving forward was the primary focus of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation and the NCMRWA.

In a joint effort, the Chippewa Cree Construction Corporation and the NCMRWA submitted written comments on the 12 crite-ria identified in the draft docu-mentation based on a conference call with Bureau of Reclamation representatives. The comments also include suggestions for the consideration of additional crite-ria that appear to have been over-looked by the authors of the draft documentation. For a copy of the documentation made available for review by Reclamation or the comments prepared by Project representatives, please contact Mary Heller at (406) 265-3249.

Federal Funding Related Activities

The Rocky Boy’s/North Central Montana Regional Water System (RB/NCMRWS) Project is comprised of a Core System and a Non-Core System. The Core System con-sists of the intake structure, water treatment plant (WTP), storage, pumping, transmission pipeline, and on-reservation infrastructure to provide water from Tiber Reservoir to the residents of the Rocky Boy’s Reserva-tion. The Non-Core System consists of the pipelines, storage, and pumping facilities to deliver water from the Core System to the water systems participating in the project. The Core System WTP is a critical compo-nent of the project. The WTP has a proposed capacity of approximately 34.5 million gallons per day (MGD), which is based on population projections and estimated water use throughout the region, as well as water losses attributed to the various treatment processes. The WTP will treat raw water from the Tiber Reservoir and will serve the Rocky Boy’s Reservation and several com-munities and rural water systems in North Central Montana.

Full Conventional Treatment SelectedEvery drinking water system in the nation, including the proposed Core System WTP, is required to meet all current United States Environmental Protection Agency primary drinking water regulations. These regula-tions protect public health by limiting the levels of contaminants in drinking water. In addition, the WTP will attempt to meet all secondary drinking water standards, which regulate contaminants that may cause cosmetic (skin or tooth discoloration) or aes-thetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color). Raw water samples indicate that the quality of water from Tiber Reservoir is relatively good, falling within the limits of most pri-mary drinking water standards. After com-paring several potential treatment options, it was recommended that the proposed WTP incorporate full-conventional treatment, which includes coagulation, flocculation, and plate-assisted sedimentation followed by granular media filtration. Primary disin-fection will be provided by free-chlorine contact, with subsequent ammonia addi-tion to form a combined-chlorine residual, known as chloramines. The combined strategy is intended to control the formation of regulated disinfection byproducts (DBPs)

in the large pipeline network comprising the RB/NCMRWS. Pretreatment provisions for powdered activated carbon and permanga-nate addition prior to flocculation is current-ly planned to provide treatment barriers for occasional objectionable tastes and odors, as well as elevated manganese levels.

The town of Chester, MT also uses Tiber Reservoir as its raw water source and has been meeting primary drinking water standards using a very similar process. The main difference between the proposed Core System WTP and the Chester WTP is the proposed use of chloramines for the Core System WTP to limit DBP formation. The reason for this recommendation is the large size of the service area, approximately 10,700 square miles. It can take as long as 14 days for water to travel from the Core System WTP to the farthest reaches of the pipeline network. Without the use of chloramines, free chlorine will react with natural organic material in the water to form regulated DBPs. The more time chlorine is in contact with the organic material, there is a greater chance that an elevated concen-tration of DBPs will be formed. Based on preliminary testing and modeling, concen-trations of DBPs would exceed maximum contaminant levels if chlorine was to be used for residual disinfection. The use of chlo-ramines, however, will limit the formation of DBPs to levels much lower than current regulations, ensuring sufficient water quality for all users.

Construction Dependant On Funding Construction of the Core System WTP will be completed by the Chippewa Cree Construction Corporation (CCCC) as soon as funds are available. At full build-out, the proposed WTP is estimated to cost approxi-mately $113.6 million to construct. It is anticipated that this amount of funding will likely not be available all at once. As such, the Core System WTP is proposed to be built in three 11.5 MGD phases, with each phase able to be divided into smaller phases. This phased approach would allow a portion of the WTP to become operational for sig-nificantly less money, potentially allowing certain users along the Core System Pipeline to begin receiving water much sooner than if

the entire system would need to be built as a single, large project.

Current plans are for the first phase to in-clude the construction of a 3 MGD treatment facility that provides water to participating water systems such as Tiber CWD, South Chester CWD, Hill County CWD, and Riverview Colony. These users already have Core System Pipeline installed to the NC-MRWA turnouts (P1 and P2). The need for funding is the only roadblock remaining to complete the first phase of the WTP provid-ing these users with quality drinking water. The estimated cost for construction of the first phase of the proposed WTP is approxi-mately $49 million.

Questions Regarding FluoridationConcerns have been voiced regarding the addition of fluoride to the treated water. The design of the WTP is flexible and will allow each community to choose whether or not they wish to add fluoride. Fluoride does not need to be added at the WTP; however, it can be added via chemical feed equipment at the entry point to each community water sys-tem based on preference. For example, the fluoride feed point for the Rocky Boy’s Res-ervation could be the first tank where water enters the On-Reservation water system. This design approach provides the water sys-tems with the flexibility to choose whether or not to add fluoride. Participating water systems are encouraged to discuss their fluo-ride preferences and provide this information to the NCMRWA Executive Committee and Board of Directors for consideration.

Operations and Maintenance Legislation requires operation and mainte-nance activities for the WTP to be provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Fur-thermore, the Tri-Partite Agreement requires that treatment operators be certified by the State of Montana. Currently, the Tribal Water Resources Department (TWRD) Director, Mr. Jay Eagleman, and other Tribal leaders have been working with the BIA to assign operations to the TWRD staff and are committed to providing certified operators at the WTP. TWRD currently has and intends to maintain operators certified in the State of Montana for both distribution and treatment.

Core System Water Treatment Plant

Site of the Future Core System Water Treatment Plant

UPCOMING EVENTS

Rocky Boy’s/North Central Montana Regional Water System Coordinating Committee Meeting • Nov 20, 2012 - 10 am

AE2S Office in Great Falls

North Central Montana Regional Water Authority Executive Committee Meetings• Oct 16, 2012 - 10 am

Norley Hall in Conrad• Nov. 20, 2012 - 1:00 pm

AE2S Office in Great Falls• Dec. 18, 2012 – 10 am

Location TBD

North Central Montana Regional Water Authority Quarterly Meeting• Oct. 16, 2012 - 1:00 pm

Norley Hall in Conrad• Dec. 18, 2012 – 1:00 pm

Location TBD

Land Acquisition Update

The North Central Montana Regional Water Authority (Authority) continues the land acquisition process to acquire pipeline easements in preparation for final design and construction of three Project segments: Segment E3, Hill County Water District; Segment W4-A, Conrad to Brady; and Segment W3, Shelby to Cut Bank. Title evidence for all parcels on the proposed routes for the three segments has been obtained. The easement negotiation process is well underway on Segment E3 and Segment W4-A. Although eminent domain is available, the land acquisition team is working hard to ensure this is only used as a last resort. Guidance to

landowners and water districts will be provided via a policy being developed to outline the expectation that landowners participate by granting easements for the Project if they expect to benefit now or in the future from the Project.

Land acquisition on Segment E3 is approaching 90 percent complete with a holdout by a major landowner being a cause for delay. Documents for the pur-chase option for a one-acre site for the booster pump station have been submitted to Hill County for review.

Land acquisition on Segment W4-A is approximately 80 per-

cent complete with holdouts by some landowners who desire a formal promise of individual wa-ter service from the Project within the first year of construction. Pur-chase option documents for the parcels needed for booster pump stations and standpipes have been submitted to Pondera County and Teton County for review.

Land acquisition on Segment W3 is about 65 percent complete with land survey complete on all parcels and estimated values for acquisition and crop damages calculated. The first landowner meeting was held in Cut Bank on September 10th to introduce the Project segment and to answer questions from the landowners.

Candidates For Governor Tour The Rocky Boy’s/NCMRWS Project

Both gubernatorial candidates for Montana took time out of their busy schedules this summer to visit the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Montana Regional Water System Project. Steve Bullock, the Democratic Party’s candidate, made a site visit in late June, and Rick Hill, the Republican Party’s candidate made a site visit in August.

During each of the site visits, the conversation started with a brief history of the project, beginning with the Chippewa Cree Tribe’s water rights compact, as well as the water quality and quantity challenges experienced by the Rocky Boy’s Reservation and the water systems participating in the project. Each candidate was familiar with the project based on their respective political careers in Montana. During this part of the conversation, I took the op-portunity to explain the excellent working relationship that has been developed through the partnership between the Chippewa Cree Tribe and the North Central Montana Regional Water Authority, which has been especially critical in re-

gards to the sharing of federal and state funds received to date.

Using a copy of the system map for geographical reference, we toured the alignment of portions of the 36-inch Core Pipeline extending from the Tiber Reser-voir to the turnout to Hill County Water District (CWD). The size and length of the pipeline system readily established the overall grandeur of the project. A visit to the Intake Superstructure at Tiber Dam demonstrated the impressive workmanship of the Chippewa Cree Construction Corpora-tion and the intent to construct a project to meet the water needs for future generations. While these components were largely funded using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, the importance of the financial contri-butions by the State of Montana toward recent progress was also emphasized.

From the perspective of the Non-Core System, we discussed the State’s role in providing funding that contributed to the success stories in addressing the regula-

tory challenges for North Havre CWD, South Chester CWD, and Riverview Colony. While this was recognized as a significant achievement, it offered the op-portunity to explain the need for increased funding in the near fu-ture to continue the progress and momentum realized over the past three years, such that construction of the water treatment plant and key segments of the project can be completed to meet the imme-diate needs of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation, Hill County Water District, Brady County Water and

by Mary A. Heller – General Manager for North Central Montana Regional Water Authority

Continued on Page 4

MT Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Bullock (D)

MT Gubernatorial Candidate Rick Hill (R)

First Name Last NameAddressCity, State Zip

AE2SAdvanced Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc.300 15th Street South, Suite 107Great Falls, MT 59405-2456

Sewer District, and the City of Cut Bank in a reasonable timeline.

By the end of the tour, both candidates real-ized that the State of Montana plays a signifi-cant role in the regional water system project. When they departed from my company, they

fully understood how the Treasure State Endowment Regional Water System Program and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan program are critical sources of funding. Both Bullock and Hill agreed that safe drinking water, jobs, and economic growth in north central Montana are all

important ingredients for a prosperous future. On behalf of the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Montana Regional Water System project, I wish them luck in November and look forward to working with our next governor in 2013!

Candidates For Governor Tour The Rocky Boy’s/NCMRWS Project (cont.)

Segments #1, #2, #3, & #0B The Core System Pipeline consists of ap-proximately 54 miles of 36-inch diameter steel pipe which has been divided into 9 total segments. To date, approximately 17.75 miles of Core System Pipeline have been installed in Segments #0 through #3.

This year, delivery and construction by the Chippewa Cree Construction Corporation (CCCC) began in May 2012 with approxi-mately 2 miles of Core System Pipeline in Segment #3A pipe. Construction crews completed Core Pipeline installation to the Hill County Water District (CWD) primary turnout before the end of June. This mile-stone marked the end of Segment #3A. Based on funding levels, final design, and construc-tion, crews mobilized and CCCC began work

on Segment #0B in the beginning of July. Segment #0B consisted of approximately 1.25 miles of Core System Pipeline starting at Segment #1 and moving northwest. Main-line construction was completed before the end of July, including a major road crossing located in Liberty County. Manholes, valves, appurtenance, and land reclamation activities are anticipated to continue until the end of September 2012.

When funding becomes available to complete the entire Segment #0 (approx 4.5 miles) and the water treatment plant, the Core System Pipeline will be able to convey potable water to NCMRWA entities such as Tiber CWD, South Chester CWD, Hill CWD, and River-view Colony.

Core System Pipeline Progress

Core Pipeline Installation