The North Dakota Public Service Commission has given its Award for Excellence in Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation to the Coteau Properties Company.
It's for the work the company is doing at the Freedom Mine, near Beulah.
Commissioner Randy Christmann said as a part of the reclamation plan, Coteau is funding several miles of Southwest Water Pipeline.
"The ultimate plan is to have 21 'pasture-taps' there," Christmann said. "That helps to distribute the grazing, so the cattle and livestock don't have to all go to on specific area for a water source."
Christmann said 12 of the taps are up and running now.
"They're working very well," Christmann said.
Christmann said this goes above and beyond just re-doing natural waterways and stock ponds. And he said the environmental value of maintaining grassland acreage is "immense."
"Having this extraordinary watering network will significantly enhance the likelihood that future owners will keep those parcels as grasslands for generations to come.
