Small Town News

Tribe gets $1 million for water project

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Tribal utility receives $1 million grant from USDA (James)

The Public Utilities Commission in Belcourt has received a $1 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Development for the replacement of a water reservoir.

State Director Jasper Schneider, along with members of his department, presented a symbolic check to Turtle Mountain Band chairman Richard Marcellais and members of the tribe's Public Utilities Commission in a small ceremony last Thursday afternoon.

"I am pleased to partner with Turtle Mountain in providing grant dollars for the construction of their new water reservoir," Schneider said in a statement. "These dollars will create access to reliable and safe water for many generations to come."Separate para elevated water reservoir, as well as two miles of water main to be connected to the Turtle Mountain Band Rural Water System, will be constructed on BIA Road 2, along the northern edge of the Turtle Mountain Reservation, said Kenny Azure, executive director of the Public Utilities Commission.

The project, known as "Tower C Replacement" as it will replace an existing water tower, will serve an estimated 750 homes in the northern half of the reservation, Azure said,

Merge Para backup storage during power outages Consumers will have about three to five days of backup storage within that pressure zone.

Water lines did exist in that region, although they were undersized and there was no method of storage, Azure said. Tower C, a water tower located along BIA Road 9, south of Fish Lake, will also be torn down.

In addition, there is potential for future development along the Highway 43 corridor and Lake Upsilon areas.

The grant is just one of three funding methods used to pay for the $3.3 million project, as an additional $1.3 million from the Bureau of Reclamation and $1 million from the Indian Health Service will combine to form the total funding.

Azure said that the commission is grateful to the funding agencies "for meeting their common goal of getting our community served and improving water standards for years to come. The commission's board, which is made up of Jim Parisien, board chairman, and commissioners Cliff Keplin, Russell Davis, Peter Allard and George Azure, also played an active role in the commission's receipt of the grant, Azure said.

Construction on the reservoir is scheduled to begin in May of this year with an anticipated completion date of May 2011. The new water tower will have a similar design to the tower erected in Belcourt last year, Azure said.

The $1 million USDA grant comes from the Rural Development's Section 306C Water and Waste Grants/Native American Set-Aside program, which is intended for eligible projects that benefit tribal members of federally recognized tribes. This program also targets tribes that are "severely distressed economically, have high unemployment rates and have critical water-related human and environmental health problems," a statement from the USDA said.

"The tribe is receiving (the grant) because if scored high enough on the funding agency's list," Azure said. "There were health factors involved. Without having storage available in a power outage, it increases unsafe health conditions."

The project, known as "Tower C Replacement" as it will replace an existing water tower, will serve an estimated 750 homes in the northern half of the reservation. In addition, there is potential for future development along the Highway 43 corridor and Lake Upsilon areas.



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© 2010 Turtle Mountain Star Rolla, North Dakota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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