Increasing Water Needs 
 10,022 Wells currently producing

◦ 6,627 from the Bakken

 40,000 additional wells in next 40 years

 193 rigs in ND (to April 2014)

 Est. 2000 wells per year

 Est. 7 to 14 acre foot water per well

 Est. 14,000 to 28,000 acre feet per year

 Est. 280,000 to 560,000 acre feet required 

over next 40 years
 

‘All waters of the State are owned 

by the State ... ‘(Section 3, Article XI, 

North Dakota Constitution)
 Water Availability 
 Water Availability 

Data Resources: 

USGS– provides a county by county analysis

NDSWC --- has selected county studies.

NDSWC Report No. 49

General Availability: 

“ground water supplies are limited .... (and) it is 

critical that (such sources) be conserved for 

sustenance of towns, homes ...” (SWC WRI No. 49)

Most likely sources: 

Dakota Aquifer

Fox Hills-Hell Creek
◦ Knife River 

◦ Little Missouri River 

◦ Heart River 

• From Lake Tschida, USBR has 5,800 acre feet for 

irrigation; may be able to reallocate to industrial 

development

• From Patterson Lake, USBR has 3,493 acre feet for MRI 

needs which could be targeted for industrial 

development

• City of Dickinson has vacated near 3,105 acre feet 

which may be reallocated by the USBR for industrial 

development. 
 Flooded nearly 500,000 

acres of the best land in the 

Reservation and State 

 Dam holds est. 25 Million 

acre feet when full 

 In the 2008 drought dam 

was drawn down nearly 45 

feet to approximately 8 M 

acre feet 

 River system is drought 

resistant, but the reservoir 

system is not 


NAWS Project by Minot, 2 to 3 mgd for expansion

(generally off peak--- tied up in a court action)

Various local communities (with new and pending 

permits)

Southwest Pipeline (off peak water availability; they 

have their own depot(s)

WAWS Project (use of Williston treatment plant)

Three Affiliated Tribes--- 11 existing intakes into 

the Lake and an extensive water distribution system




West Dakota Water; inexpensive, raw water under 

large flow, generally from Williston to Dickinson 

area

Other Private Water lines; a number in various 

stages of development.

Independent Water Providers: 

Independently providing water since 2008

73 privately owned depots

70-80% of industry needs provided in 2011 
 Partnership between Bartlett and West and 

Jmac Resources

 Diversion of Water near Williston, ND

 10,000 acre feet State permit

 All Federal permits received

 Raw water, large flow availability, reliable 

service 
 Sources

◦ Water Wells, Lakes, Rivers, Streams

 Transportation 

◦ Trucking

 Use existing road system to bring water from source directly 

to well site

 Transportation Infrastructure is financed by tax payers 

◦ Pipeline

 main transmission pipeline brings water from source to 

distribution pipelines

 distribution pipelines bring water directly to well site

 permanent, temporary, or combination

 Transportation Infrastructure is financed by private 

companies
 Trucking (assume 20 mile trip to source)

◦ Average cost $120/hour 

◦ Average payload capacity 120/bbls

◦ Average cycle time 2.5 hours

$120/hour x 2.5 hours / 120 bbls/truck =

$2.5 per bbls 
 AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and 

Transportation Officials)

 Roadway Design

 ESAL -Equivalent Single Axle Loads 

 1 ESAL = 18000 lb Axel with dual tires

 Average Water Truck uses 2.87* ESALs (80k lb Tractor 

Trailer)

*Upper Great Plains Institute Transportation Study 
 Reconstruction Costs of a 750,000 ESAL Roadway = 

$1.25 Million/Mile (North Dakota DOT)

$1,250,000 per mile / 750,000 ESALs = $1.67/ESAL/Mile 

 Water Truck Costs on Public Infrastructure

2.87 ESALs per Truck X $1.67/ESAL/Mile = $4.80/Mile 

Or

$0.04/BBls/Mile 

 

 Oil companies end up paying these cost through 

production and extraction taxes

 

*Upper Great Plains Institute Transportation Study 
 Assume 20 mile trip to source water

 Infrastructure Cost - 20 mile x $0.04/bbls/mile 

=

$0.80/bbls 

 Operation Costs - $120/hour x 2.5 hours / 120 

bbls/truck =

$2.50 per bbls 

 

Total Cost $3.30/bbls 

 
 Inefficient way to move water

 Local Relations

◦ Environmental (Dust)

◦ Destructive to Infrastructure

◦ Safety impact on local road travel

 750,000 ESAL a typical two lane state highway

 Average County or Township road in the Bakken

Oilfield is 25,000 ESALs

 25,000 / 2.87 = 8700 water trucks ~ 10 

Fracks

 Load Equivalency Factors ~ Overloaded Trucks

 Can Increase the ESAL usage by up to 20 times

 Older Township Roads destroyed in 1 week

 Farm to Market Roads not good for public 

relations

*Upper Great Plains Institute Transportation Study 
 Increased traffic on narrow Farm to Market 

Roads

 Trends from truck owner operator paid $/Hr 

to $/BBLS Delivered

 Incentive:

◦ Drive Faster

◦ Work Longer

◦ Run overloaded

 Since oil activity in Bakken Started traffic 

fatalities up 50%

Infrastructure Costs –

•Southwest Pipeline Pipeline

•Built in Southwest North Dakota

•Network of Transmission and 

Distribution Pipelines 

•Capitol Repayment Costs =

$0.03/bbls 

•Operation and Maintenance 

Costs=

$0.05/bbls 

•Overall Cost = 

$0.08/bbls 

•Not exactly a “fair” Comparison

• Capitol Repayment Costs can 

be higher for a pipeline 

system to service fracturing 

needs
 Assume a 10 mile transport 25 bbls/min

10” Cl. 200 PVC, G.J. 52800 LF $ 17.00 $ 897,600

Booster Pump 1 $ 300,000.00 $ 300,000.00 

Right of Way 10 MI $ 32,000.00 $ 320,000.00 

TOTAL COST ESTIMATE $ 1,517,600.00 
 Temporary Pipeline Used to transport water 

for Hydraulic Fracturing

◦ Pumped using diesel powered pumps from a water 

source

◦ Water flows through temporary surface pipelines

 Aluminum Irrigation Pipe

 HDPE fusable pipe

 Lay flat roll hose

◦ Booster Pumps used as need depending on terrain

◦ Pumped to Frack Tanks or Poseidon Tanks

Trucking Water Piping Water

 Inefficient way to move 

water

 Local Relations

◦ Environmental (Dust)

◦ Destructive to 

Infrastructure

◦ Safety impact on local 

road travel

 Takes years to build 

Infrastructure

 Right of Way 

Acquisition 

 High upfront project 

cost




 

Physical Disruption of Channel 

• Any alteration of the channel (dredging, excavation, 

intake works) ---- require a regulatory permit 

(section 10 and/or 404)

Access Into the Reservoir 

• Within the Reservoir --- (or along the free flowing 

river with Federal land ownership) --- require real 

estate access permits 
Most Significant Issue ... at this 

time... Surplus water 

 What is surplus 

water? 

 Is there surplus 

water available? 

 States rights 

issue 

 

 

 Construction of the dams created a ‘pooled 

body of water’ (25 MAF) 

 That pooled body of water came with an 

initial capital construction cost and an 

ongoing OMR cost ($300M in 1947; $3.2B in 

2011; OMR at $6.3M) 

 Benefiting parties from that pooled water 

should pay an amount which compensates 

the federal government for this benefit ($21) 

 

 

 

The COE Position ...Surplus Water Issue 
 

 The ‘pooled water’ body does not provide a 

benefit which otherwise would not be there. 

 The ‘pooled water’ body in some instances 

creates a nuisance to water management 

which would otherwise not be there 

 The State has a right to the natural flows of 

the river without COE permission 

 

 

 

The State Position ...Surplus Water Issue 
Thank You For Your Kind Attention 

...

Ken Royse, PE

Bartlett and West, Inc.

Bismarck, ND

701-258-1110

ken.royse@bartwest.com