John Hoeven

We are going to complete NAWS, and today is a big step forward.

The incredible costs that you get into.

We're at the point now, where we're within feet of a whole new round of infrastructure that's going to be impacted.

It's got to be a team effort.

You're talking about building a water treatment plant, probably bigger than is used for a city the size of Tampa, Florida or San Diego.

Clearly, communication is an important part of meeting this challenge.

Senator Conrad, again, good to be here with you and to be working, not only with our local partners, but the Federal partners.

This has to be a local, State, and Federal team effort to make this work.

We're looking at all options.

Just that one bridge is $65 million.

We really are working to go forward with a three-part plan.

It's good to see Fargo and West Fargo working together on a joint facility. That's great.

We've all--it's got to be a team effort, here.

Thank you, Senator. Good to be with you, I appreciate you being here, and also very much appreciate the moment of silence for one of our soldiers.

I want to thank all of the--everyone who's here today.

I think that's a really good thing. I think that's great. Because we're all going to have to work together on this issue.

Potentially billions of dollars, in essence, then, to put water back in the river that has almost the same sulfate content as the water you took out.

We've got to work together on this one and as I listen to the testimony here today, I mean it, again, it convinces me we've got to work together on this challenge.

I contacted Senator Conrad when I heard that he was going to have these hearings both up in Devils Lake and down here in Valley City.

Governor John Hoeven, using Emergency Rules, voided the original permit and approved an increase in the sulfate limit.

Really to be to add reverse osmosis to whatever they do and they've estimated roughly that could cost $45 million so we'd work with them to do that.

We have worked hard to provide information to all concerned regarding the operation of the Devils Lake Outlet, and I thank you, Senator Dorgan, for your support of the outlet.

The State's objective with the west-end outlet is to minimize or avoid the effects of a discharge from Devils Lake into the Sheyenne that would create problems downstream from either a flooding or water quality standpoint.

We're going to work with them through the Water Commission, and we'd love some help from the Federal participation as well.

Thank you for your long term support of the Devils Lake Outlet program.