FARGO (KFGO-AM) A North Dakota interim legislative committee was in Fargo Tuesday for a fact finding mission on the Red River Valley Water Supply Project. Stalled for decades because of Federal issues, the project to divert water from the Missouri River to the Red River Valley during an extended drought has picked up momentum after state and local government's decided to proceed without Federal involvement.
Senator Tony Grindberg of Fargo, chairman of the interim Water Topics Overview Sommittee says the state is committed but there's still a lot of unknown's. He says a plan is needed and to determine costs and what the state and local commitments will be.
The original cost was estimated at $600 million. Early projections now peg the price tag at $800 million. The state Water Commission plans to hire an engineer to conduct an independent review of several options and present its findings to the next legislative session.