The Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the State Water Commission (SWC) have started the process of developing a Water Development Plan for the 2027-2029 biennium and beyond. The purpose of this letter is to ask for your help in identifying North Dakota’s potential water development projects, the timing of their implementation, and estimated costs.
Project sponsors who have new projects that may request DWR/SWC cost-share in the future should submit those projects as part of this planning process. In addition, unfunded projects submitted to the 2025 or previous Water Development Plans must re-submit updated information to be included in the 2027 Plan. Please note, those projects that are identified in the state’s Water Development Plan are considered for funding ahead of those that are not.
We recognize that you and your constituents’ efforts are the key to water development in North Dakota, and for that reason, we are respectfully requesting your help to make this process a success. As in the past, the input gained with your help will become the foundation of the DWR’s budget request to the Governor and Legislature. Thus, we are particularly interested in collecting information on water projects that may require DWR/SWC cost-share during the 2027-2029 and future biennia.
Project information will be collected electronically through the DWR website at www.dwr.nd.gov under the heading “2027 Water Development Plan.” Please submit each project individually so they are inventoried correctly as part of this planning effort. To identify if your project is eligible for DWR/SWC cost-share assistance, the policy and eligibility requirements can be found via the website by hovering over the “Project Development” tab, and then clicking “Cost-Share.”
As passed by the 69th Legislative Assembly in 2025, NDCC 54-35-02.7 now requires projects seeking $10 million or more from the SWC to report to the Interim Legislative Water Topics Overview Committee (WTOC) before May 31, 2026. Therefore, projects identified during the inventory process that meet this criterion will be forwarded on to the WTOC. It is expected that WTOC and Legislative Council may establish a supplemental reporting system or may schedule sponsors to report at future hearings. Specific details regarding those processes will not impact this project inventory effort.
To ensure that your projects are included in this planning process, we ask that you submit your projects before April 30, 2026. Questions can be directed to Cory Drevecky at (701) 328-4967 or cjdrevecky@nd.gov. Thank you for your assistance with this important process.