This bill updates a 1965 law to increase and add funding authorization for major water supply projects in North Dakota and South Dakota. It authorizes roughly $687 million in new funding for state and municipal water projects, including the Northwest Area Water Supply plant, the Eastern North Dakota Alternate Water Supply Project, the Southwest Pipeline Project, and rural water district improvements, with the ability to shift money between these projects under certain limits. It also authorizes about $743 million for rural water systems serving Native American tribes, specifically the Spirit Lake, Three Affiliated Tribes, Standing Rock, and Turtle Mountain reservations, along with a feasibility study for the Lake Traverse Reservation's water needs. All funding amounts will be adjusted over time to account for rising construction costs, and the bill requires engineering studies for several projects to be completed within two years of enactment. The legislation also increases funding for a related natural resources trust fund from a lower amount to $75 million.
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