Jeff Breker understands the importance of having access to high quality water better than many people. As a resident of Sargent County who has operated a ranch for more than 40 years, he remembers the days before rural water reached his farmstead.
“I’ve been operating my cattle operation since the early eighties. Starting out, my wife Jody and I had water quantity and quality struggles. In 1988, we invested $8,000 in a 900 foot well into glacial till. It was unsuccessful,” explains Jeff. “The water here was high in sulfur, and you could see the discoloration when it came out of the tap.”
In the early nineties, Richland Rural Water Users expanded into Sargent County to help address high arsenic levels. That expansion allowed Jeff’s family and their cattle to enjoy constant access to high-quality water. “I wouldn’t have a livestock business to where I’m at right now without good water. High quality water is needed for the success of a cattle business,” says Jeff.
He became active with the Richland Rural Water Users board which was renamed Southeast Water Users District (SEWUD). Over the years Ransom Sargent Water Users District and Dickey Rural Water Users Association also joined under the SEWUD name. Jeff is the current SEWUD Board President. He recently replaced LaVonne Althoff as the SEWUD representative on the Lake Agassiz Water Authority (LAWA) Board of Directors.
“LaVonne served in many leadership roles on the SEWUD Board of Directors and the North Dakota Water Rural Water Systems Association. She did an excellent job and has been dedicated to water industry through LAWA service and beyond. She positively impacted the water industry in North Dakota,” says Jeff.
Jeff is already well known within North Dakota’s water circles. In addition to his new role on the LAWA board, he is the current Vice President of the North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association. In 2020, he received the prestigious Water Wheel award from the North Dakota Water Users Association.
His experience as a former Sargent County representative on the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (Garrison Diversion) Board of Directors provides valuable knowledge about the history of LAWA’s biggest initiative – the Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP). LAWA and Garrison Diversion are co-sponsors of the state-led RRVWSP.
“The federal government promised North Dakota water as compensation for farmland lost to flooding due to the construction of dams on the Missouri River. The project traces its roots to the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program. We spent years waiting for the project to move forward, through multiple presidents,” explains Jeff.
The RRVWSP will provide a supplemental and emergency water supply from the Missouri River to central and eastern North Dakota via a buried pipeline that spans from the McClusky Canal to the Sheyenne River near Cooperstown. With construction of the transmission pipeline well underway, the cities and rural water systems, including SEWUD, are looking forward to the completion of the RRVWSP in a few years.
“The Red River Valley Water Supply will provide water for years to come,” says Jeff. “This project is forward thinking in the development of water for the future of North Dakota.”
He and Jody have three adult children and nine grandchildren. The couple likes to travel, golf, and enjoy time with family and friends. Their daughter, Ashten, is an electrical engineer in South Dakota and their two sons, Jacob and Greg, are taking over the ranch.
Though he has retired from ranching, Jeff isn’t taking a step back from his work with North Dakota’s water any time soon. He truly knows how life changing a new water supply can be for communities.