MOORHEAD — A major but fragile source of Moorhead’s water lies hidden beneath the ground east of the city: the Buffalo Aquifer.
A source of Moorhead’s drinking water, the aquifer has come up as a sticking point in the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe’s proposed resort-casino complex on land east of Moorhead, near the intersection of Interstate 94 and Highway 336. The
sits atop the Buffalo Aquifer.
The tribe’s proposal includes a casino with an attached hotel and convention center, restaurants and parking. It also includes a possible truck stop and convenience store.
Leaders from the White Earth Nation brought their proposal to the
and
in recent weeks, asking for letters of support to bolster an application to put the land into trust. That would give the federal government the title to the land, holding it for the benefit of the tribe, according to the
Designating the land as trust land would allow the tribe to conduct gaming operations there and make it exempt from state and local taxes and
Reasons for opposition to the proposal voiced at meetings have varied, from Clay County losing property taxes to potential strain on local law enforcement. Some opponents, along with local leaders, have voiced concerns about the Buffalo Aquifer, which was threatened by truck stops in the past.
White Earth Nation leaders were not available for an interview by publication time. However, Chairman Michael Fairbanks addressed environmental concerns as the tribe unveiled its proposal at the Clay County Commission meeting on April 22. The tribe does not intend to dirty or pollute anything, he said.
Anna Paige / The Forum
“We’re here to protect that water because we know how important it is,” Fairbanks said.
What is the Buffalo Aquifer?
An aquifer is an underground body of sand and gravel that allows for the storage of water, according to Marc Pritchard, water plant manager for Moorhead Public Service. Pritchard oversees operations at the plant, from the pumping of raw water through the treatment of it.
“Around here, it’s not exactly a common thing — northwest Minnesota doesn’t have great groundwater supplies,” Pritchard said.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
The Buffalo Aquifer is a one-mile-wide, 32-mile-long strip of gravel, surrounded by densely packed clay that stretches from Wilkin County to northeast of Moorhead.
Surveys of the aquifer have found there are between 120 billion and 250 billion gallons of water in it, Pritchard said, with about 10% available to be drawn out.
“So we have, on paper, enough for about a 10-year, 1930s style drought out in that aquifer,” Pritchard said.
With that in mind, Moorhead Public Service uses surface water from the Red River as the primary water source for Moorhead, rather than the aquifer. Typically, Moorhead Public Service uses a mix of 20-25% groundwater to 75-80% surface water.
“The whole linchpin of that strategy was using as much surface water as possible so that the aquifer can adequately recharge, so on those not-so-rainy days, we have water supply for Moorhead and Dilworth,” Pritchard said.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
Moorhead Public Service also draws groundwater from the Moorhead Aquifer, which sits beneath the water treatment plant. The ratio of groundwater to surface water shifts depending on surface water quality and drought conditions.
The Buffalo Aquifer is very close to the surface, making it extremely vulnerable to contamination. In spots, the aquifer is less than 15 feet beneath the ground, with some open pits at the surface, Pritchard said.
The White Earth land is near the center channel of the aquifer, where it recharges, Pritchard said. The recharge area is very close to Highway 336, he said.
Map by Troy Becker / The Forum
“One of the gentlemen at one of the meetings over the past two weeks phrased it best, you know — the aquifer doesn’t recognize, nor does it care, where the road’s at,” Pritchard said. “It’s still under there, so it’s something we have to be very conscientious of.”
The Buffalo Aquifer has been polluted before. In the 1990s, fuel leaks at two truck stops near the I-94 and Highway 336 junction led to costly cleanups of the area.
The first leak was in the early 1990s, when gasoline and diesel fuel from the Commercial East Truck Stop, formerly the Double D truck stop, contaminated soil around the stop and the Buffalo Aquifer under the stop. The truck stop had to close for cleanup.
On Dec. 15, 1994, The Forum reported the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency planned to spend around $1 million as it excavated soil at the site and treated it. Later, the land was tax-forfeited to the state of Minnesota.
News broke of another spill above the aquifer in August 1999. This time, it was at the Trucker’s Inn truck stop, just north of the previous leak at the same intersection.
On Aug. 20, 1999, The Forum reported that the underground leak was discovered when the truck stop was installing new fuel pumps. At the time, the MPCA did not think the leak posed an immediate threat to the aquifer. But on Nov. 30, 2000, The Forum reported that the MPCA was piloting a new petroleum extraction system to remove contamination from the aquifer.
In 2003, the
so its buildings could be demolished to speed up cleanup by allowing for more extensive excavation of contaminated soil.
In 2000, the Clay County Commission established a new zoning district ordinance to protect environmentally sensitive areas, like the land above the aquifer.
Around the same time, Moorhead Public Service and Clay County developed the first wellhead protection plan for the aquifer, Pritchard said. Together, the zoning ordinance and protection plan limit what the land can be used for, restricting things like hazardous substance storage in underground tanks, like fuel tanks for a gas station, on-site septic and private wells for commercial purposes.
“So, it’s all geared around protecting that shallow aquifer surface from various different types of contamination,” Pritchard said.
White Earth Nation’s proposal
When White Earth Nation leaders unveiled ideas for the casino-resort complex during the Clay County Commission meeting, commissioners asked about plans to preserve the aquifer and plans for water and sewer service to the stop.
Nate Mathews, executive director of the White Earth Nation Tribal Utility Commission, suggested the facility would have access to Moorhead water and sewer, rather than relying on wells and a buried septic field.
Anna Paige / The Forum
“I think those types of conversations of water and sewer access to the site will be forthcoming with them,” Mathews said.
White Earth leaders softened on the idea of a truck stop on the site at later meetings, instead pitching a convenience store with the possibility of it including a truck stop.
During the Moorhead City Council meeting on April 28, Mathews said studies would be conducted on whether the project would include a convenience store or truck stop.
“We talked about a truck stop, and maybe that’s a little premature to say that’s exactly what we would envision here, but that was identified because you realize there’s not much over on this side of town, so to speak, for rest areas,” he said.
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