Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring today joined the State Water Commission in announcing an additional $2 million for the Drought Disaster Livestock Water Supply Project Assistance Program, as demand for the program has outstripped the initial $2 million approved last week.
The Commission voted Aug. 18 to activate the program after Armstrong declared a drought disaster for extremely dry conditions across North Dakota. The program provides cost-share assistance on projects including new water wells, rural water system connections, pipeline extensions and pasture taps.
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) received more than 220 applications in just the first week of the program, and funding would have run out today without the Commission’s action, with Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden chairing the meeting, to double the available cost-share assistance to $4 million. Armstrong also issued an amended executive order today making the program available to livestock producers in all North Dakota counties, rather than only those counties impacted by drought rated D2 (severe) or higher and adjacent counties and tribal nations.
“The intense demand for this water supply program demonstrates just how serious the drought situation is in North Dakota for our livestock producers,” Armstrong said. “This program will not only help more producers through the current drought but also make their operations more resilient against future droughts.”
Source : nd.gov