Characterization of surface-water and groundwater quality on the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota, 2014–17

Abstract

The Fort Berthold Reservation is in west-central North Dakota and home to the Three Affiliated Tribes. The primary water-resources concerns on the Fort Berthold Reservation are associated with the different types of land uses from agricultural activities and the rapid development of oil and gas resources in western North Dakota. The Three Affiliated Tribes Environmental Department identified the need for long-term water-quality monitoring throughout the Fort Berthold Reservation to better understand the potential effects on surface-water and groundwater quality and to determine if water quality is changing with time. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Three Affiliated Tribes, identified surface-water sites and groundwater wells that represent the water resources in major drainages and the most utilized aquifers on the reservation. A water-quality monitoring program was designed to address data gaps and provide consistent long-term data that can be used to identify potential effects on water quality. During 2014-17, the initial water-quality sampling efforts associated with this program were completed. The efforts provide a current (2019) characterization of water-quality conditions in surface water and groundwater and can assist in establishing a long-term water-quality monitoring program.

Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Physiography, climate, land use, and demographics

“…Sampled aquifers consisted predominantly of premodern (old) recharge, indicating relatively slow groundwater movement that could inhibit widespread transport of chemicals in groundwater. A study within the Fort Berthold Reservation in west-central North Dakota was completed to provide a baseline characterization of water-quality conditions in surface water and groundwater and design a water-quality monitoring program to address data gaps and provide consistent long-term data that could be used to assess the effects of future energy development activities (Lundgren and Iorio, 2020).…”