East Central Regional Water Looking to Connect Water Supply Into Minnesota Along HWY 75 Corridor
Halstad, MN — The East Central Regional Water District is hosting a pair of public informational meetings in the coming days to provide more information about their proposed plan to bring rural water service to the communities along the Highway 75 corridor in Polk, Norman, and Clay County. East Central Regional Water started in 1971 as a way to bring clean and safe water to towns and farms in eastern North Dakota. They began with 600 members and have since expanded to 3700 members mostly in Traill and Grand Forks Counties. East Central Regional Water District System Manager Neil Breidenbach says as many rural communities on the Minnesota side deal with aging water systems, they’ve began reaching out about the possibility of hooking into their high quality water supply.
In addition to struggles with aging water towers and water treatment facilities that are costly to maintain and rebuild, these communities are also finding it difficult to find trained and licensed employees to operate them as well.
East Central Regional Water is reaching to the communities of Climax, Shelly, Halstad, Hendrum, Perley, Georgetown, Borup, and Beltrami, along with potential rural customers along those main lines, to gain interest in the service. Sarah Sesselman, Project Engineer, says they encourage people in those communities to attend the upcoming public meetings to learn more and let them know if they have any level of interest.
The project is estimated to be around a $13 million investment, which also depends on the number of communities that sign on for services. They are also seeking support from the legislature for grants to help cover costs. Sesselman reminds community members that by showing interest or support, it is by no means a commitment.
The public informational meetings are scheduled for this Saturday, February 19th at 2pm and Wednesday, February 23rd at 7pm. Both will be held in Halstad at the Legion Recreation Center.
Listen to the full interview with Neil Breidenbach and Sarah Sesselman of East Central Regional Water on Monday at 9am during the KRJB Kaleidoscope Program.