Major Work Completed On Williston Reservoir | Video

Chris Williams | 6/21/2012

It hasn`t been under construction long, but crews have already completed some major work on the Williston Reservoir.

"It`s really only been under construction for about a year now, and there been a number of miles of lines that have gone in. This reservoir going in, there`s great plans. It`s gonna be upgrading the Williston Water Treatment Plant. And it`s all paid for, basically, by the oil industry," said Williston mayor Ward Koeser.

The five million gallon reservoir is not only providing water to Williston and surrounding cities, but also to oil companies. Something that is helping pay for the project.

"Oil companies will be able to pick up water there and purchase it there. The revenues that are generated from those water sales then, are really what pay for the system going in."

Residents in Divide, Burke, Mountrail, McKenzie and Williams County will notice changes in their water when the reservoir opens.

"What they will notice in that part of town, is that they will have increased water pressure. Right now, they might have some challenges in certain areas where they don`t have as much as they would like, and I think that will alleviate that problem."

The oil boom prompted the project, but the reservoir will be beneficial well into the future.

"When the oil activity subsides, whether that be five years or fifteen years or twenty years down the road. Then we`ll have a great water supply. We will be able to utilize that if we wanted to build manufacturing or do some other industry in the area."

The crew is expecting the panels to go up within the next few weeks. The project is expected to be completed by the end of this construction season.

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