Facts About Water In North Dakota

There are five major river basins in North Dakota. The Missouri and James River Basins drain into the Gulf of Mexico drainage system. The Souris and Red River Basins drain into Hudson Bay drainage system. Devils Lake is a closed basin but if it overflows its natural banks at 1,447 feet, it would drain into the Hudson Bay drainage system.

The Red River Valley, which flows north, was formed by Glacial Lake Agassiz and originally flowed south to the Minnesota River. As the glacier melted, its weight caused the land to tilt from south to north, causing the Red River to flow northward to Lake WInnipeg.

The Sheyenne River is 506 miles long, making it the longest river in North Dakota.

Only two percent of North Dakota’s 70,702 square miles has surface water on it. Almost 96% of the surface water in the state of North Dakota is contained in the Missouri River.

The Lake Sakakawea reservoir formed by Garrison Dam is designed to hold 24.5 million acre-feet of water. It covers an area roughly the size of Rhode Island and has 1,600 miles of shoreline – more shoreline than California’s Pacific coast.

The State of North Dakota owns all water within its borders. Individuals and entities that own property must apply for a permit in order to use water on or below ground.

During statehood deliberations, pioneering geologist John Wesley Powell urged that Dakota Territory be divided into two states along drainage system lines at the continental divide rather than along latitude lines. His proposal would have created an East and West Dakota rather than North and South Dakota. His recommendations were ignored.

North Dakota has more wildlife refuges than any other state. It has preserved or restored approximately 60% of its natural wetlands, which cover approximately 2 million acres.

The first irrigation project in North Dakota was from works built in 1905 that were constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation near Williston, ND.

Water levels in Devils Lake have fluctuated from a low of 1,400 (where the lake was only two feet deep) in 1940 to a high of 1,446 in 2000. In 1994, water levels rose five feet in six months.

Arsenic occurs naturally in the soil in much of North Dakota and is found in groundwater and aquifers throughout the state. Thirty-two rural and municipal water systems do not comply with the Safe Drinking Water standards on arsenic that become effective in 2006. It is estimated that it will cost $25-40 million dollars to upgrade the infrastructure to meet the new standards.

The Southwest Area Pipeline project has more than 2,600 miles of pipe. At completion, it is estimated to include more than 3,000 miles of pipe and will provide water to communities and rural residents south and west of the Missouri River.