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Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Water System Master Plan
Belcourt, North Dakota
Project Details:
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa (TMBC) has retained the services of Houston Engineering
to develop a Water System Master Plan for its rapidly growing urban and rural water system.
TMBC’s main requirement was for the Master Plan to be a forward-looking, “living” document that
would guide water system improvements, ensuring that they meet the projected needs of the future
while addressing the short-term needs of today. This plan not only addresses the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation requirements for a final engineering report but also enables the TMBC to properly
allocate limited funds to maximize project benefits. Houston, in cooperation with the TMBC,
developed a report outline that incorporated impacts and needs for residential, commercial,
and industrial water demands to ensure a safe water supply. This water supply will permit the
TMBC to recognize and manage future growth while conserving limited capital.
The project consisted of evaluating the existing facilities and immediate needs while also
evaluating ultimate future needs. The evaluation of existing facilities included the development
of a complete water system hydraulic model, which required the integration of rural water modeling
techniques with urban modeling techniques. Tribal agencies, funding agencies, and tribal public
utilities are collaborating to project future water demand and define water system facility
requirements to meet that demand. The TMBC will ultimately incorporate millions of dollars worth
of water system improvements based on the master plan recommendations.
Project Benefits:
- A solid plan to ensure that water system improvements can sustain growth, be
fiscally sound, and be made in a timely, organized manner
- Ongoing communication and collaboration between various agencies
- Adequate water resources available for a growing population now and in the future
“In selecting an engineer for the tribe’s water infrastructure planning, the tribal
selection committee was looking for a firm that seemed down-to-earth and had a sense
of the challenges that we faced ahead in our future water supply planning. Houston
Engineering did that.”
Read the complete testimonial
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- Gene Laducer, Tribal Water Planner for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
“I wholeheartedly recommend Houston to perform similar projects in other tribal
communities because of their commitment to quality and focus on project outcomes and
deliverables. In addition, their sensitivity to our tribal culture is without equal.”
Read the complete quote ...
- David Doc Brien, Office of Renewal Community Coordinator for the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
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