City takes step to sell water
By STU MERRY
Is the City of Garrison willing to become a regional water supplier? Yes.
At a special council meeting Nov. 12, council members took the first step, laying the groundwork for providing water to the north, signing a memorandum of understanding with Moore Engineering, Minot.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is multipurpose. It would signify cooperation between the City of Garrison, Garrison Rural Water District and North Prairie Rural Water District. The memorandum will enable the entities to pursue an agreement to install necessary improvements to attain the goal. Improvements include upgrades to and expansion of the City of Garrison’s water treatment plant and facilities. It would also allow creation of a pipeline through the Garrison Rural Water District territory, enabling the city to sell water to North Prairie.
Randy Wall, senior project engineer with Moore Engineering, said the MOU also demonstrates a regional planning effort which would be viewed favorably by the State Water Commission (SWC) regarding its ability to award grant funds for water infrastructure improvements.
Mayor Shannon Jeffers supports moving forward.
“I think it’s worth getting to this step,” Jeffers told the council. “It allows them (Moore) to get an approximate cost so we can sit with the other players and see who is willing to pay for what.”
Jeffers met with North Prairie Rural Water officials this past week. “They are interested in buying water from us. Are we interested in being a regional water supplier?” he asked the council.
