Four North Dakota communities receive $15.2 million in low-cost water infrastructure loans
North Dakota awarded six State Revolving Fund loans totaling $15.2 million in July for water and related infrastructure projects in Almont, Bottineau, Cass Rural Water District and West Fargo, according to a July 23 announcement from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality.
The announcement covers financing awards, not proof that construction has started or that residents will immediately see work, outages, assessments or rate changes. Those details were not included in the state release.
Almont loans target aging water and sewer mains
Almont received two loans: $149,000 through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $162,000 through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
The clean-water loan will support replacement of asbestos-cement water mains and vitrified-clay sanitary sewer mains that DEQ said have reached the end of their useful life.
The drinking-water project is intended to reduce operation and maintenance costs and improve system reliability, according to DEQ. Those are stated project objectives, not independently measured results.
Bottineau project will replace lead service lines
Bottineau received a $3.6 million Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan to replace lead drinking-water service lines.
DEQ said the work will remove a potential source of lead in drinking water and improve long-term public health. The announcement does not identify individual properties, testing results or a confirmed exposure event.
Residents who may be affected will need to rely on Bottineau or the project administrator for property-specific notices, construction timing and information about any temporary service changes.
Cass Rural Water District receives $1.5 million
Cass Rural Water District received a $1.5 million Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan to install a rural and regional water main. DEQ said the project is intended to enhance system performance and reliability.
The award may matter to customers across the district’s service area, but the state announcement does not specify which properties or segments will be served, when construction will begin or whether customer rates will change.
West Fargo gets $9.8 million for development infrastructure
West Fargo received two loans totaling $9.8 million: $5.1 million through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $4.7 million through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
The money will support replacement of water mains, storm and sanitary sewer systems, and streets in the First Avenue and Meadow Ridge developments. DEQ described the goals as reducing operation and maintenance costs and improving system reliability.
The release does not establish a construction schedule, affected parcels, temporary closures, assessments, utility-rate impacts or final project costs. Residents and businesses near the named developments should look to West Fargo for project notices and traffic or service information.
How the financing works
North Dakota’s State Revolving Fund programs are jointly administered by DEQ and the North Dakota Public Finance Authority. The authority provides loans to local governments across the state and lists water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer and road work among the types of projects it finances.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides part of the programs’ funding. The state announcement says the revolving-fund loans carry below-market interest rates for eligible political subdivisions; EPA does not directly award these local loans.
EPA says the national Drinking Water State Revolving Fund supports projects that reduce exposure to lead in drinking water, including finding and removing lead service lines.
What residents should watch for next
The July awards establish financing and broad project purposes. They do not establish when construction will start, which properties will be affected, whether service interruptions will occur, how repayment will be handled locally or whether rates or assessments will change.
Residents in Almont, Bottineau, the Cass Rural Water District and the named West Fargo developments should watch announcements from their city, rural water district or project administrator for schedules, notices and any property-specific information.
Sources
- North Dakota DEQ: “$15.2 million in state water loans awarded for infrastructure upgrades in North Dakota,” July 23, 2026
- North Dakota Public Finance Authority
- U.S. EPA: Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
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