The state water commission shall review, gather stakeholder input on, and rewrite as necessary the commission’s “Cost-share Policy, Procedure and General Requirements” and “Project Prioritization Guidance” documents. The commission’s cost-share policy:

Terms Used In North Dakota Code 61-02-01.4

  • population: means the number of inhabitants as determined by the last preceding state or federal census. See North Dakota Code 1-01-47
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49

1.    Must provide a water supply project is eligible for a cost-share up to seventy-five percent of the total eligible project costs.

2.    May not determine program eligibility of water supply projects based on a population growth factor. However, a population growth factor may be used in prioritizing projects for that purpose.

3.    Must consider all project costs potentially eligible for reimbursement, except the commission shall exclude operations expense, regular maintenance, and removal of vegetative materials and sediment, for assessment drains, and may exclude operations expense and regular maintenance for other projects. Snagging and clearing    of watercourses and deepening or widening of existing drains are eligible for reimbursement. The commission shall require a water project sponsor to maintain a capital improvement fund from the rates charged customers for future extraordinary maintenance projects as condition of funding an extraordinary maintenance project.

4.    May not determine program eligibility of water supply projects based on affordability.

However, affordability may be used in prioritizing projects for that purpose.