Fall is quickly approaching but the 2026 construction season for the Red River Valley Water Supply Project (RRVWSP) is still full steam ahead. Progress on the transmission pipeline continues with 9.6 miles installed this year.
“Our relatively dry summer weather has helped the construction crews this year,” says Kip Kovar, Garrison Diversion Conservancy District Engineer / Deputy Program Manager for RRVWSP Engineering. “There’s still plenty of construction season left in 2026 to make even more progress on the transmission pipeline.”
Transmission Pipeline Progress
- Contract 5C: 8.1 miles from Bordulac Township to Bucephalia Township in Foster County. Pipe installation was completed in July 2026. Land restoration will be completed this year.
- Contract 5D: 10 miles of pipeline and a trenchless crossing of Pipestem Creek in western Foster County and eastern Wells County are complete. Land restoration will wrap up in 2026.
- Contract 6A: 7.1 miles of pipeline from James River to Eastman Township in Foster County. Pipe installation was completed by August 2026. Land restoration will be completed this year.
- Contract 6B/C: 3 miles are installed of the 17.6-mile pipeline in McKinnon, Sutton, and Revere Townships in Foster and Griggs Counties. The project includes two 96-inch diameter trenchless crossings of jurisdictional wetlands and one 96-inch diameter trenchless crossing of a BNSF railroad.
- Contract 7A: This segment is 6.5 miles long and runs from Revere Township to Cooperstown in Griggs County. Pipe installation began in late August 2026. The contract includes three 96-inch diameter trenchless crossings of jurisdictional wetlands.
ENDAWS Contracts
Garrison Diversion Conservancy District (Garrison Diversion) advertised the first Eastern North Dakota Alternate Water Supply (ENDAWS) facilities contract in July for initial work on the Biota Water Treatment Plant (BWTP) site. Martin Construction out of Dickinson, North Dakota, was selected with the low bid of $20.4 million from a pool of six bidders.
Construction on the ENDAWS BWTP Contract 1 is scheduled to begin in October. Contract 1 includes improving and building access roads to the future BWTP, performing mass grading of approximately 500,000 cubic yards of material, and excavating a pumping station wet well.
The BWTP is an important part of ENDAWS, a project that complements the RRVWSP. Before conveying the water through the RRVWSP transmission pipeline, the water will be treated to meet the requirement of regulatory agencies.
By utilizing existing federal infrastructure, including the Snake Creek Pumping Plant and the McClusky Canal, ENDAWS will reduce RRVWSP construction costs. Another benefit of using existing infrastructure is the reduced operational costs due to a higher elevation and lower pumping lift and shorter distance to convey water from McClusky Canal to the transmission pipeline.
Garrison Diversion plans to advertise ENDAWS BWTP Contract 2 next spring. That contract will include the McClusky Canal intake, tunnel, and wet well/shaft liner.
“The beginning of ENDAWS construction is an important milestone,” says Duane DeKrey, Garrison Diversion General Manager. “We are moving closer to fulfilling the promise of an emergency and supplemental water supply for central and eastern North Dakota.”