Jamestown (CSi) The Stutsman Rural Water Users will be attempting to identify a potential new industrial-water user, now that the CHS plans for the nitrogen fertilizer plant at Spiritwood have been scrapped.

The permits intended to provide enough water for the plant may still be available if a need for the permits can be established.

The two permits would have allowed Stutsman Rural Water to draw water from the Spiritwood and Jamestown aquifers and combine the water with treated wastewater at a reuse plant to meet the needs of the CHS fertilizer plant.

Potential water users could build in the Spiritwood Energy Park Association or at other locations in the area.

At that time the State Water Commission would reconsider the applications, the public would be allowed to comment, and affected water users would have the opportunity to challenge the recommendation.

Director of the water appropriations division of the North Dakota State Water Commission, John Patch, says, “This water was going to be put to a beneficial use. With CHS off the table, we’ll need to know what the new plan would be.”

The $3 billion plant called for about 3,800 gallons of water per minute for operations.

The project was canceled on August 12 the this year, when CHS announced its decision to invest in an existing nitrogen fertilizer manufacturer.