City concludes water rate review
By Jerry W. Kram
New Town City Council members voted for a minor increase in water rates for the Fort Berthold Rural Water System at their regular November meeting.
The contract between the city and the water system says that water fees charged by the city will be based on the city’s operating costs of the water plant. The district paid for 25 percent of the original water plant, so the capital costs of the plant are not included in that calculation. The city currently charges the district $4.44 per thousand gallons of water.
In 2017, New Town did an expansion off the water plant, doubling plant’s capacity to 1,800 gallons per minute. While the city held discussions with the water district and MHA Tribal Business Council representatives, New Town did not receive any capital investment for the plant expansion.
