This new Strategic Plan contains descriptions and overviews of the agency's major projects and programs. To develop the 2013-2015 Strategic Plan, project and program managers were asked to provide input regarding their expectations for future progress through June 30, 2015. As part of that effort, they were asked to provide project and/or program objectives that they will strive to accomplish during the strategic planning timeframe, as well as specific tasks that will be completed to achieve their objectives.
The County Ground-Water Studies program provides a general inventory of the state's ground-water resource. These studies identified the location and extent of major aquifers, hydraulic properties, water chemistry, estimated well yields, and the occurrence and movement of ground water including sources of recharge and discharge. The county studies were prepared in three parts. Part I describes the geology; Part II provides ground-water basic data which includes lithologic logs of test holes and wells, water levels in observation wells, and water chemistry analyses; and Part III describes the general hydrogeology. The County Ground-Water Studies are available for all counties in North Dakota.
This publication was chosen nationally and in North Dakota as one of the most notable publications produced by government in 1997 by the American Library Association and the North Dakota Library Association. It has been distributed to all 50 states and six countries. Unfortunately, the original print version is gone, and there are no plans for reprinting the document. However, it is available here on the Web at no cost.
Many stockmen, domestic users, municipalities, and industrial users depend on the Fox Hills-Hell Creek aquifer for their water supply. The aquifer is an artesian flowing aquifer that allows wells in low-lying areas to flow. However, the pressure heads are declining at a rate of approximately one foot per year. If this trend continues, a majority of the flowing wells installed in the aquifer will stop flowing within the next 100 years. The pressure heads are declining because the amount of discharge, primarily from wells, exceeds the amount of recharge into the aquifer. The purpose of these brochures is to provide information, which will help in the conservation of water in the Fox Hills-Hell Creek aquifer and thereby extend the life of the flowing wells completed in the aquifer.
Irrigation Feasibility Studies
PDF files of the Annual Reports to the International Joint Commission by the International Souris River Board for Calendar Years 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Guide to ND Ground-Water Resources
This publication is provided as a courtesy by the United States Geological Survey. It provides a general overview of North Dakota's ground water resources.
Water-Supply Paper 2236, By Q.F. Paulson
The North Dakota State Engineer and the North Dakota State Geologist were instructed by the 52nd State Legislative Assembly to conduct site-suitability reviews of the solid waste landfills in the state of North Dakota. The purpose of this program is to evaluate site suitability of each landfill for disposal of solid waste based on geologic and hydrologic characteristics.
The State Engineer and the State Water Commission have many responsibilities in addressing water management needs in North Dakota. This brochure provides an overview of those responsibilities, and demonstrates the parnership that has been forged between the Office of the State Engineer and Water Commission in protecting the public's interest in water, while enhancing opportunities for social and economic growth.
This collection of over 100 ground water studies contains reports from areas all over North Dakota, dating back to 1946, and continuing until the present day. Most were undertaken at the request of cities and rural water systems to address some water supply or water quality issue. Many, especially the earlier reports, were written by or in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey.
This booklet provides general information about water resources in North Dakota. It is presented on a state-wide basis, as well as addressing the five major hydrological basins that comprise the state. The information includes: surface water, ground water, and atmospheric water; water use; and many of the various problems, issues, and concerns involving water which face our state.
The new 2013-2015 ND Water Development Plan is available for review and download. If you would like paper copies of the Plan, please call 701-328-4989, or email dapetersen@nd.gov.
This 22 x 34 inch poster/map completed in 2010, highlights the geography of the state's waters and several water development efforts. Download a PDF at this link.
Office of State Engineer - A Tour
In 2005, the Office of the State Engineer marked its 100-year anniversary. This 10-page illustrated article details the history of the Office, since it was officially established in 1905.
Ordinary High Water Mark Guide
A 2005 Attorney General Opinion advised the State Engineer to develop a comprehensive sovereign land management plan. One product of the resulting comprehensive planning process was the determination that specific guidelines needed to be developed for delineating ordinary high water marks. These guidelines are intended to define a consistent and technically defensible approach for delineating the ordinary high water mark in both riverine and lake settings in North Dakota. These guidelines were prepared by the Office of the State Engineer with assistance from Houston Engineering, Inc.
Reports prepared with the support or cooperation of the NDSWC such as university thesis or dissertations, reports by other agencies or consultants.
The State Water Commission contributes a three-page section of articles to a magazine titled NORTH DAKOTA WATER, published by the North Dakota Water Education Foundation. The Commission's pages are called THE OXBOW and are designed to inform readers about Water Commission projects and programs, as well as local, state, and national water management issues. The magazine is published monthly, excluding February and August. Past articles are found here in downloadable PDF format.
The yearly subscription rate for NORTH DAKOTA WATER is $15, or $25 for two years. Call (701) 223-8332.
This 12-page report titled: A Practitioner's Field Guide to Guessing in the Dark: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Uncertainty, by James T. Fay, P.E., discusses the uncertainties of the practice of hydrology and how to deal with those uncertainties.
Sovereign Land Management Plan
The Office of the State Engineer recently completed North Dakota's first Sovereign Land Management Plan. Sovereign land is another name for North Dakota's public lands in and around the state's major rivers and lakes. Hard copies of the plan are available upon request. Call (701) 328-2752.
The North Dakota State Water Commission and the Office of the State Engineer have been publishing agency biennial reports since 1904. Those documents have been put into PDF format, and are available for downloading here.
This 8-page full-color report provides general information on the Missouri River, particularly the North Dakota portion of the river. It discusses the benefits of the river, and summarizes some of the most pressing issues of the river basin.
Since 1937, when the State Planning Board Published the first state-wide water plan, the State Water Commission has been dedicated to developing and maintaining plans for water resource development. In more recent years, the Water Development Reports serve as supplements to the agency's State Water Management Plan. They provide updated information regarding North Dakota's water development project needs; they provide information regarding North Dakota's ability to fund those needs; and they serve as the State Water Commission's formal request for funding from the Resources Trust Fund.
Water Resource Investigations comprise a group of special studies outside of the scope of the North Dakota County Ground-Water Studies and the North Dakota Ground-Water Studies. Topics include artificial recharge, soil hydraulic properties, and water chemistry.
The Water Commission and the Office of the State Engineer have expressed serious concerns about this process and its impact to state water rights. Comments submitted to the Corp detailing those concerns are available for review.
Assessment Of Potential Use Of Telemetry For Monitoring Oil-Field Water Use
