The "Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority is a legal entity formed in May of 2005.
The owners of the system are the Counties of McCone and Garfield, the towns of Circle, Richey and Jordan and the four Conservation Districts of McCone, Garfield, Richland and Dawson Counties.
The Feasibility Study was completed in June of 2006 and the addendum was completed in May 2007 that indicated that this system is financially, environmentally and operationally feasible. Interstate Engineering has finished the addendum to the study with final location for intake structure, pump house and water treatment facility, and addressed the large number of additional users that had signed up after completion of the original feasibility study.
The boundaries have been set for the service area, which includes all area in McCone and Garfield, Northern part of Prairie County, Dawson, Richland and McKenzie Co (East Fairview) west of the Yellowstone River. The project is to bring much needed high quality and reliable quantity of drinking water to the five counties.
The addendum report studied five (5) potential intake / water treatment locations and in working closely with the USACOE, the CMR-NWR and the DRWA Board members; selected a site for the intake structure that is usable down to the minimum lake pool elevation of 2160, that is accessible by existing roads or trails and has privately owned land nearby to locate a water treatment facility. We have received just over $100,000 (Federal EDA, State of MT DNRC, State of MT Dept of Commerce) grants to help complete a professional Engineering Feasibility Study. The study itself was well over $80,000. Interstate Engineering has finished the addendum to the study with final location for intake structure, pump house and water treatment facility, and addressed the large number of additional users that had signed up after completion of the original feasibility study.
The language has been drafted for the Authorization and Appropriation bill for Congress in February 2007and has been sent to the Congressional staffers of Baucus, Rehberg and Tester offices. Currently the legislative council is working on the authorization for DRWA.
Based on the funding formula for the other regional water systems (75% Federal grant, 12.5% State of MT grant and 12.5% paid by the users) the system is feasible. It is the most efficient and effective way to provide safe and good water to the residents of this rural area
The total Equivalent
Dwelling Units (EDU) through February 2007 in the study area is 2,908 (up
from 1,849). The capital cost of the complete full build out of the project
per EDU in the study area is $39,585 (down from $44,430). As of May 2007 we
have approximately 60 additional hook-ups.
So far
the agencies involved are DNRC, USACOE, BLM, CMR, and FW&P. The USACOE, CMRNWF
and the affected landowner have all provided documentation that the site
selected for the intake structure; water treatment plant and the pipeline
are available. The USACOE and CMRNWF were actively involved in the decision
process for the site selection.
The next step is to continue working on the authorization bill for the system and an appropriation to assistance for cultural and environmental studies, final engineering design and potentially for intake construction and beginning work on the treatment facility.
History
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