The 68th North Dakota Legislative Assembly passed House Bill 1218 replacing the Northwest Area Water Supply (NAWS) Project’s Advisory Committee created in 1991 with the NAWS Authority, which was signed into law by Governor Doug Burgum on April 12, 2023. The bill changed portions of North Dakota Century Code §61-24.6 that became effective on August 1, 2023. HB 1218 elevates the NAWS advisory committee to an authority and puts it in line with the other regional systems in the state as the delivery of Lake Sakakawea water to the project area is expected soon and the NAWS project progresses towards completion.
The NAWS Authority representatives in HB 1218 includes four representatives from the City of Minot, one representative of the cities with direct service from the project outside of Minot, one representative of the North Prairie Regional Water District, one representative of the All Seasons Water Users District, one representative of the Upper Souris Water District, one representative of the State Water Commission who resides in the Souris River basin, one non-voting representative of the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, and one non-voting representative of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.
NAWS Authority Members
City of Minot Representatives:
- Mayor Tom Ross
- Finance Director Dave Lakefield
- Utilities Director Jason Sorenson
- Former City Auditor Bob Schempp
North Prairie Regional Water Representative:
- General Manager Teresa Sundsbak
All Seasons Water Users District Representative:
- General Manager Dan Schafer
Upper Souris Water District:
- Board President Shawn Raap
SWC Representative:
- Commissioner Jason Zimmerman
Representative from cities with direct connection to NAWS:
- Bottineau City Superintendent Tony Schwalbe
GDCD Representative:
- Board member Kenny Rodgers
Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
- Appointment pending
NAWS Authority Meetings
Meetings will be held at 1025 31st Street SE, Minot, ND, Minot Public Works Conference Room at 3:00 PM Central Standard Time.
May 23, 2024
July 18, 2024
September 19, 2024
November 21, 2024
NAWS Authority Meeting Minutes
January 18, 2024 - Minutes
November 16, 2023 - Minutes
Information
For more information on Northwest Area Water Supply Authority, please contact Tim Freije, P.E., NAWS Project Manager at (701) 328-1050 or e-mail .