One hundred percent of North Dakota is currently experiencing moderate to extreme drought conditions, according to the North American Drought Monitor. The drought tracking agency released an updated U.S. Drought Monitor map on March 25th.
The 35 rural water systems and communities that signed up for the development portion of the Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP) fall into the “severe drought” and “moderate drought” categories on the map. The cities and water systems span from the central portion of the state to the Red River Valley.
“North Dakota’s climate is so variable that we often see floods and droughts in back-to-back years. We cannot easily predict far in advance whether we will be in a wet or dry cycle. Since last fall, we have been in a dry cycle. Climatologists have predicted we will experience another Dust Bowl style drought by 2050,” explains Duane DeKrey, Garrison Diversion Conservancy District General Manager.
When it is constructed, the RRVWSP will mitigate the effects of moderate and severe droughts on the participating cities and water systems. The Project will deliver water via buried pipelines from the Missouri River near Washburn, along Highway 200 to the Sheyenne River to protect nearly half of the state’s population from the damaging effects of future droughts.