September 5, 2018
Rural water district continues to grow at 25 years
By JILL DENNING GACKLE
Garrison Rural Water District is all grown up. At 25 years old, the district supports 727 meters, has two new reservoir facilities west and east of the city and has three employees.
Dean Krebsbach joined the district in January after 29 years working CHI St. Alexius-Garrison and the parent hospital in Bismarck. Today he manages a staff of two – Mike Oster and Michelle Baker – and works closely with the water district’s board to upgrade remote reading systems and to manage a growing rural landscape.
Board Vice President Diane Stockdill said the transition from management of McLean Electric Cooperative to its own facility and oversight was a logical transition.
“McLean was ready for us to be on our own,” she said. “They felt like the time had come. We had enough members to be a business on our own.”
There are 27 new rural water meters since the start of 2018 and more phone calls for service coming in regularly.
Stockdill said, “We had to build the reservoirs to make sure we had volume and pressure for people in the system.”
Dean Krebsbach joined the district in January after 29 years working CHI St. Alexius-Garrison and the parent hospital in Bismarck. Today he manages a staff of two – Mike Oster and Michelle Baker – and works closely with the water district’s board to upgrade remote reading systems and to manage a growing rural landscape.
Board Vice President Diane Stockdill said the transition from management of McLean Electric Cooperative to its own facility and oversight was a logical transition.
“McLean was ready for us to be on our own,” she said. “They felt like the time had come. We had enough members to be a business on our own.”
There are 27 new rural water meters since the start of 2018 and more phone calls for service coming in regularly.
Stockdill said, “We had to build the reservoirs to make sure we had volume and pressure for people in the system.”
