Dakota Water Resources Act Amendments of 2026

This bill significantly modifies Public Law 89-108 by increasing and updating the authorization of appropriations for State and Tribal, municipal, rural, and industrial water supplies. It specifically authorizes substantial new funding for several critical water infrastructure projects in North Dakota. These include $120,000,000 for the Northwest Area Water Supply Biota Water Treatment Plant, $404,000,000 for the Eastern North Dakota Alternate Water Supply Project, $50,000,000 for the Southwest Pipeline Project, and $63,000,000 for North Dakota rural water districts, all of which are subject to indexing for inflation. The legislation also provides flexibility by allowing transfers of up to 50 percent of initial authorized amounts among these specific projects. Furthermore, it authorizes the use of funds for completing final engineering reports for certain projects within two years of enactment. A major provision includes an additional $743,000,000 , also indexed, specifically for the completion of several Tribal rural water systems, such as those for Spirit Lake, Three Affiliated Tribes, Standing Rock, and Turtle Mountain, and $12,000,000 for a feasibility study and potential construction for the Lake Traverse Rural Water System. Finally, the bill updates the indexing mechanism for various authorized amounts to account for ordinary fluctuations in construction costs.