Nov. 11—GRAND FORKS — A nearly $7 million loan from the state of North Dakota will help Grand Forks finance sewer and water improvements in recently annexed areas on the city’s north side.
The funds, through the state water commission, are earmarked for the city
the annexed residents will not pay special assessments,
which are typically 100% borne by property owners for new plumbing and water installations. Connecting people to the city water system also eliminates the need for septic systems, reducing potential groundwater contamination.
“It’s challenging to do this type of development because you have existing properties that you have to work around and existing systems that you have to tie into,” said Assistant City Engineer Christian Danielson. “So these types of projects are challenging and generally more expensive due to the nature of working in an area that is already developed.”
Doing this type of project is unusual for Grand Forks. Typically, the city annexes greenfield sites that have no existing infrastructure. For example, the Grand Valley development on the south side of the city has a similar sewer system extension on a greenfield site
and those sewer costs are 100% specifically assessed for the new properties.
The loan the city receives will help finance the five phases of the sanitary sewer expansion. In total, the cost of expanding the city’s sanitary sewer is estimated at approximately $8 million dollars, including both construction and engineering costs. Phases one and two are already under construction and are expected to be completed in 2025.
According to Danielson, all utility expansions in the area the city is undertaking are approaching the 50% mark. The next phases of the project will likely last through 2029, according to city construction estimates.
“It’s a two-way street,” Danielson said of the sewer expansion. “It’s not just us that are bringing them into the city, we have to provide all the benefits that we would otherwise provide to anyone else in the city.”
The expansion of the sewer system in this area of Grand Forks means that the land owned by Fufeng USA will likely change its land classification. The land is still classified as agricultural land because it did not sufficiently meet the criteria
change per North Dakota Century Code.
