North Dakota isn’t just a windswept place haunted only by antelope and jackrabbits.
From 2010 to 2021, the state’s population grew by just over 15%, driven largely by an oil drilling boom. That growth brought increasing demand for the Southwest Water Authority, based in Dickinson.As water treatment manager for the authority, Grace Rixen oversees three plants that treat water pumped from Lake Sakakawea, a flowage of the Missouri River. The water is distributed over a large section of southwestern North Dakota.The high-quality surface water treated by the three plants is in demand among rural residents in an area where underground sources
