The Garrison Diversion Project has been a controversial issue in N.D. for almost half a century. Supporters originally saw the project as just recompense for land lost in the creation of the Garrison Dam and Lake Sakakawea. They proposed diverting Missouri River water to irrigate more than a million acres of land, claiming that would bring a host of benefits, including increased population, new industries, and improved recreational resources. Opponents derided the project as a pork barrel boondoggle, with any benefits outweighed not only by its financial cost but also by its human and environmental consequences. The expenditure of more than half a billion dollars has resulted in the construction of major waterworks and two separate canals that extend more than 125 miles across the center of the state. However, to date, not a drop of water has flowed from one end to the other. The project has been on hold since 1991. In 2000, Congress passed the Dakota Water Resources Act, which authorizes $ 631 million, including $200 million to bring water to the communities of the Red River the new focus of a plan in which irrigation plays a minor role. Actual funding will be considered only after the completion of yet another report on alternatives. Surprisingly, few people have seen the existing sections of the Garrison project, in spite of the controversy's long history. Wayne Gudmundson's photographs provide for the first time a representation of the full scope of the Garrison Diversion. They also reveal a love of the North Dakota landscape in all its forms. Robert Silberman's essay provides an up-to-date history of the project and the heated political conflicts it has aroused. He also discusses the distinctive character of Gudmundson's photographs.
About the Authors |
Wayne Gudmundson teaches photography at Minnesota State University Moorhead. His photographs have been featured in the books A long Way to See: Images and Voices of North Dakota and Heimahager-Homeplaces, among others, as well as in exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad. |
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Robert Silberman teaches art history at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He is coauthor (with Vicki Goldberg) of American Photography: A Century of Images and writes regularly on photography film, contemporary art, and crafts for a wide variety of publications. |