Murphy’s Law 2024 | #4 Water Topics Committee

Time was spent at a recent meeting educating this interim committee about water policies which included testimony from the Department of Water Resources (DWR). They heard from the DWR’s Regulatory division, Water Appropriations division, a financial update and then some topics such as aquifer recharge and recovery and finally some details on water-related research. After lunch, Karl Rockeman, P.E., Director – Division of Water Quality, Department of Environmental Quality, provided testimony with others regarding (brace your mind as this is a mouthful) the Vision 2 North Dakota Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Prioritization Strategy. A TMDL is a plan or “recipe” to reduce a pollutant in a waterbody so it can be used by the public.
• A TMDL can affect permitted discharges (point sources), but is a non-regulatory planning tool for reducing nonpoint source pollution such as runoff from land
• TMDLs are a required part of the Clean Water Act
• The TMDL Vision 2 strategy is a long term (10-yr) work plan on what water bodies and pollutants the DEQ will prioritize.
They stressed that this is a planning tool and not a regulating policy. However, the Clean Water Act has provisions that will use the public input which they are currently taking in via the TMDL Strategy. The input period will end March 19 and the report is due to the EPA April first of this year.
Then the committee heard about the impact of the law from bill SB2372 of this past session which encourages Water Resource Districts to form Joint Water Districts whenever possible. It was explained that this policy is a move towards a water management philosophy which would emphasize basins rather than the current system of fragmented management via county boards. Although WRDs have long banded together forming joint districts, some legislators would rather mandate basin management. This will be a process and something the committee will probably be discussing in further meetings before the next session. Next interim committee meeting is in Minot during June, exact date to be determined.