Garrison Diversion Unit Research Articles

The evolution of elite framing following enactment of legislation

The study of policy framing enables the investigation of how elites conceptualize policy issues. While the dominant investigative work on elite framing has been within the mass media, we demonstrate the utility of an elite framing approach in a political institution, the U.S. Congress. We argue for moving to a “life-cycle” approach to policy framing that recognizes the evolution of elite framing attempts as implementation of a law deviates from its legislative intent, basing our approach out of the issue-attention cycle theory put forth by Downs (Public Interest 28:38–50, 1972). Framing efforts by policy advocates do not end after legislation has been enacted or policy changed. Elites who have been unsuccessful in achieving their policy aims continue to advocate for their preferred outcomes by altering their framing strategies. We demonstrate this by applying evolutionary factor analysis to investigate 10 Congressional committee hearings held between 1957 and 2006 pertaining to federal funding for the Garrison Diversion Unit in North Dakota. From the perspective of proponents of diverting water from the Missouri River, how the Congressional debate over the Unit progressed constituted policy regression. This is reflected in the evolution of elite framing over the period studied. Our analysis uncovers the emergence of four evolutionary frames. Initial frames emphasized the benefits to be derived from water diversion, while subsequent frames reflected a more defensive posture emphasizing the limited harm that water diversion would cause. This research demonstrates the consequences of legislative implementation delay for elite framing attempts.

Systems methodologies in Vitae Systems of Systems

Systems methodologies constitute an implementation science to address complex environmental problems from a Vitae Systems of Systems perspective. The aim of Implementation Science is to obtain sustainable, fair and responsible solutions that satisfy as much as possible the value systems of stakeholders while upholding the Vitae principles of survivability, viability and conviviality. To represent the environmental and other societal problems under investigation, the insightful concept of a system of systems is adopted. For example, the Vitae viewpoint on solutions to global warming problems at the regional, national or international level is captured in the interactions of societal systems, such as industrial and service systems, with atmospheric, oceanic and land systems. To tackle the strategic aspects of complex systems of systems problems, there is a rich variety of systems engineering decision tools that can handle multiple stakeholders with multiple objectives; these tools are explained and compared according to their inherent capabilities. To demonstrate how systems tools can implement a Vitae Systems of Systems philosophy, three different techniques are applied to complex large-scale environmental and water resources management problems. The Graph Model for Conflict Resolution is used to address the large-scale environmental problem that arose over a massive irrigation project proposed for the US state of North Dakota - the infamous Garrison Diversion Unit. Next, a large-scale optimization model, integrating concepts from hydrology, economics and cooperative game theory, is employed to identify fair and feasible allocations of water resources among users in the South Saskatchewan River Basin located in southern Alberta, Canada. Finally, Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis techniques are used to assess different strategies to satisfy future water demand from multiple stakeholders within the Regional Municipality of Waterloo situated in southern Ontario, Canada.

Irrigation management for corn in the northern Great Plains, USA

Irrigation management influences production costs and affects leaching of nutrients to groundwater. This study was conducted to compare irrigation scheduling techniques on a field-scale site and to determine whether significant irrigation water savings and equivalent yields could be achieved compared with the practices of other commercial growers in the local area. The effects of four irrigation scheduling techniques on seasonal irrigation water requirements and corn grain yields were studied for the 1990–1995 seasons at a field-scale (53.4 ha) site within the Oakes Test Area (OTA) of the Garrison Diversion Unit in southeastern North Dakota, USA. The four scheduling techniques, applied with field quadrants and seasons as dimensions of a modified Latin square statistical design, included irrigating based on tensiometer and infrared canopy temperature measurements, two water balance methods, and irrigating based on CERES–Maize estimates of plant-extractable soil water. No statistically significant differences in seasonal irrigation totals were found between irrigation scheduling methods or irrigation quadrants, while statistically significant differences were found for season. Corn grain yield was significantly affected by seasons, quadrants, and irrigation scheduling methods for both the current and previous seasons. Compared to other commercial growers in the OTA, this study maintained 5% higher yields and saved approximately 30% in irrigation inputs. Careful irrigation scheduling, based on any of the four techniques, offers the potential to reduce input costs for irrigated corn production in the area.

Controlling Microbial Biota Transfer in the Garrison Diversion Unit

The Garrison diversion unit is a canal system designed to distribute water from the Missouri River basin into western and eastern North Dakota. Canada has opposed the completion of the Garrison diversion unit because of a concern that the water sent to eastern North Dakota may degrade Canadian fisheries when it reaches Hudson Bay. To address this concern, a research project was done to evaluate the use of three different disinfection processes to inactivate harmful microorganisms in Garrison diversion unit water. The processes considered were chlorination, ozonation, and ultraviolet light. The objective was to identify a cost-effective means for inactivating bacteria and viruses that cannot be efficiently removed by broad-brush physical processes such as direct filtration or screening. The main criteria used to evaluate the three disinfection processes were reliability, cost, and potential adverse effects. The results indicated that chlorination was the most reliable and least expensive process but that o...

The great plains Garrison Diversion Unit and the search for an environmental ethic

The Garrison Diversion Unit (GDU) was authorized by Congress in 1965. It is one of the largest and most expensive public works projects ever undertaken in the United States. When completed, it may become the last major federal irrigation scheme constructed in the west. Its principal purposes are: (1) to irrigate some 250,000 acres of arable land in North Dakota, (2) provide water for municipal and industrial use in fourteen communities, and (3) enhance recreational opportunities and fish and wildlife management programs within, and adjacent to, the canals and reservoirs resulting from its construction. The project is to be financed by hydropower sales from Lake Sakakawea, created when Garrison Dam was completed in 1956.1

Day of Reckoning for the Garrison Project

A 12-member commission appointed by the Interior Department could decide to stop or change the Garrison Diversion Unit irrigation project in North Dakota. Under attack since the early 1970s by environmentalists and farmers whose land was disrupted, the project would store and divert water from the Missouri River in a series of canals and reservoirs. The project also ran into trouble with the Canadian government over concerns about pollution from irrigation runoff. Promoted heavily by the Reagan administration as a way to provide irrigation to dry areas and stabilize the economy, the project conflicts with other government payments to farmers to limit production. Little evidence supports the need to supplement municipal water supplies. Controversy over these issues, the value of free drainage to farmers, the impact of fish screens and other environmental impacts underscroes the need to develop a workable plan agreeable to both sides.

Chemical Control of Fish and Fish Eggs in the Garrison Diversion Unit, North Dakota

Abstract The Garrison Diversion Unit involves the proposed transfer of Missouri River water to a large part of eastern North Dakota for agricultural and industrial uses. Some of the water would flow into Canada through the Red River of the North. Canadian officials are concerned that some nonindigenous species might be introduced to their waters; namely, gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), common carp (Cyprinus carpio), and Utah chub (Gila atraria). We investigated toxicants that might be used to augment other barriers that have been proposed. Chemicals tested against fish eggs and larvae were rotenone, potassium permanganate, chlorine, acrolein, cyanide, fluoride, ammonia, and nitrite. Eggs were generally more resistant than larvae. Only three of the toxicants demonstrated potential to control both eggs and larvae of the species of concern. Rotenone was the most toxic, followed by chlorine and potassium permanganate. Effective exposures required 6-24 hours at concentration...

THE GARRISON DIVERSION UNIT - AN UPDATE

The Garrison Diversion Unit (GDU), a massive multi-purpose water resource scheme in North Dakota, has caused controversy between Canada and the United States resulting in a reference to the International Joint Commission (IJC). The IJC concluded that the project as authorized by the United States Congress would adversely affect some Canadian waters particularly with respect to biota transfer from the Missouri System to the Hudson Bay Watershed and therefore recommended against completion of those parts of the project that would affect Canada. However, concern about the project still exists in Manitoba and in North Dakota where, for some time, legal actions stalled the project. Negotiations between Canada and the United States aimed at achieving a final agreement have started, but little progress has been made. In view of continued opposition from Canadian sources and increasing opposition from within the United States, it seems likely that only a scaled down version of the original project will be completed.

Fuzzy Set Techniques in Decision Making

A fuzzy set approach to multicriteria modelling is presented for selecting the best alternative solutions to a large scale engineering project. Not only does the technique handle both nonquantitative and quantitative factors, but the viewpoints of the different interest groups can also be considered. Various sensitivity analyses are proposed for checking the robustness of the final results and future research topics are suggested for further enhancing the methodology. The efficacy of the technique is demonstrated by applying it to the Garrison Diversion Unit project which is a mammoth irrigation project in the American state of North Dakota. Additionally, the role of a fuzzy set approach to multicriteria modelling in the overall decision making process is put into proper perspective and it is explain-how decision making is a control process. The linkage between the method and conflict analysis techniques which can be used to model the political situation, is also pointed out.

The Garrison Diversion Unit: A Case Study in Canadian-US Environmental Relations

The Garrison Diversion Unit: A Case Study in Canadian-US Environmental Relations

Metagame analysis of the Garrison Conflict

Metagame analysis is a type of game theory which can be employed for assessing the political feasibility of large‐scale water resources projects. The Garrison Diversion Unit, a planned irrigation scheme in North Dakota has caused a complex international controversy which is analyzed by using metagame analysis. Based upon the options available to the participants in the conflict and also the preferences of the participants, metagame analysis is used to predict possible feasible political solutions to the Garrison conflict. In addition, metagame analysis provides a framework for systematically studying the Garrison dispute so that the political complexities of the problem can be understood and put into proper perspective.

EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES TO THE GARRISON DIVERSION UNIT1

ABSTRACT: The Garrison Diversion Unit is a multipurpose water resources project which is currently under development for the purpose of diverting water from the Missouri River basin to irrigate farmland in North Dakota. Due to the objections raised by various interest groups, the project has recently been reviewed by the International Joint Commission. This article surveys the background to the project and the various alternatives that have been proposed. By utilizing recently developed fuzzy set techniques, the proposed alternatives are evaluated and a plausible solution is proposed. The results of the study indicate that it may be advisable to remove the Souris Loop irrigation area from the Garrison project but the environmental impacts of the study may preclude the implementation of any alternative that can affect Canada. These findings are in partial agreement with the recommendations of the International Joint Commission.

Solving Complex Conflicts

Many complex problems may be modeled as conflicts, but until now a comprehensive technique for analyzing real world conflicts has not been available. A method is presented which permits the rapid assessment of complex conflict situations for the purpose of finding resolutions to a conflict, determining correct strategies, and enhancing one's understanding of the problem. The new technique is presented through a step by step example, and following this the mathematical basis for the analysis algorithm is developed. Finally, extensions to the procedure are presented through the analysis of the fall of France in 1940, an international water allocation conflict, and the Garrison Diversion Unit (GDU) irrigation project in North Dakota, U.S.A.

THE GARRISON DIVERSION UNIT TRANSBOUNDARY CONCERNS - A SUMMARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL GARRISON DIVERSION STUDY BOARD REPORT

The major components of the proposed Garrison Diversion Unit are described and the Canadian concerns which led to the International Joint Commission study are reviewed. The results of the impact study carried out for the I.J.C. are summarized and the proposed project alterations and the board recommendations are evaluated.