Agenda

Webinar instructions will be emailed 24-48 business hours before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.


Friday, October 24, 2025
8:30 am – 4:00 pm CDT


Agenda:

Understanding South Dakota Surface Water and Groundwater Rights
Presented by David L. Ganje

  • “Ownership” of South Dakota surface and groundwater: public waters, private rights and prior appropriation
  • Regulation of surface water rights
  • Obtaining surface water rights
  • Application and permitting process
  • Review of an actual license/permit
  • Process and decision making
  • Current issues in groundwater rights

Water Appropriation in North Dakota
Presented by Andrew Nygren

  • Department of water resources – water appropriation division overview
  • History of North Dakota water statues
  • Water appropriation division processes
  • Water resource data collection

Managing Finite Water Resources
Presented by Sushant Mehan, Ph.D.

  • Planning for climate resilience
  • Historic usage and current trends
  • Maintaining water quality and quantity
  • Watershed planning

Groundwater Quality and Contamination
Presented by Achintya Bezbaruah, Ph.D.

  • Issues in groundwater
  • Arsenic and fluoride
  • PFAs
  • Connection to food supply

Ethical Issues in Water Use and Regulation
Presented by Riley S. Snow

  • Ethical issues in water use
  • Ethical issues in real estate development

 

Webinar Instructions 
 
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited. 

Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher. 

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Windows 10 or higher, macOS 11 or higher, Linux, Google Chrome OS 

Web Browser:  
Google Chrome (most recent 3 versions) 
Microsoft Edge (most recent 3 versions) 

Internet connection: 1 Mbps or better 

Hardware:  2GB of RAM (minimum), 4GB or more of RAM (recommended) 

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Credits

Engineers
6.5 PDHs

Geologists
6.5 Hour Learning Opportunity

APA/AICP - American Planning Association/American Institute of Certified Planners
6.5 CM

Attorneys
6.5 CLE Credits (Including 1.0 Ethics Credit) - North Dakota Attorneys

Attorneys
6.5 Hour Non-Mandatory Learning Opportunity - South Dakota Attorneys

 

Continuing Education Information

This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 6.5 PDHs for professional engineers in North Dakota and South Dakota.

The South Dakota Board of Technical Professions and the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors do not pre-approve continuing education courses or providers.

HalfMoon Education is an approved CM Provider with the American Planning Association. This course is registered for CM | 6.5 for Certified Planners.

This webinar has been approved by the State Bar Association of North Dakota for 6.5 ND CLE credits, which includes 5.5 general credits and 1.0 ethics credit. This course offers a 6.5-hour non-mandatory learning opportunity to attorneys licensed in South Dakota.

Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed).

*On-Demand Credits*

The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format may not be eligible for the same credits as the live presentation; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate.

Speakers

Achintya Bezbaruah, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NDSU

Dr. Bezbaruah received his Ph.D. (2002) in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Prior to joining NDSU in 2005, Dr. Bezbaruah worked on groundwater remediation and modeling at URS Corp (now AECOM) at Omaha, NE. Since joining NDSU, he has established a new research track on environmental nanotechnology.

David L. Ganje

Attorney with Ganje Law Office in Rapid City

Mr. Ganje is a seasoned attorney and founder of Ganje Law Offices, with extensive experience in natural resources law, commercial law, and commercial litigation. His practice spans both South Dakota and New York, and he has built a reputation for handling complex legal matters involving Natural Resources Law: mineral rights, oil and gas law, environmental law, water law, and energy law Commercial Law & Litigation: business transactions, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, banking law, and title/legal examinations. Mr. Ganje has B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of South Dakota. He is admitted to Practice in South Dakota, New York and multiple U.S. District Courts, U.S. Court of Appeals (Eighth Circuit), and U.S. Tax Court. Mr. Ganje is a former adjunct professor at Albany Law School, a visiting professor at Augsburg University School of Law in Germany and a Faculty member at Northern State University’s School of Business and Industry.

Sushant Mehan, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at SDU

Dr. Sushant Mehan’s research and Extension work focus on water quality, environmental modeling, and stakeholder engagement in agricultural systems. He leads several state and federally funded projects on precision water management, drainage practices, and rural water education. Dr. Mehan also serves as Associate Director of the South Dakota Water Resources Institute and is actively involved in statewide efforts to connect science, tools, and community perspectives to improve water stewardship.

Andrew Nygren

Director, North Dakota Department of Water Resources

Mr. Nygren is Director of the Water Appropriation Division for the North Dakota Department of Water Resources. He holds an M.S. degree in Geological Engineering from the University of North Dakota. Mr. Nygren has been employed with North Dakota Department of Water Resources since 2005.

Riley S. Snow

Attorney at Snow Law

Mr. Snow represents clients in Arizona and Utah on matters related to water rights, real property, and resource development. He regularly appears before land and water agencies and in state and federal court. Mr. Snow’s clients include governmental entities, national and multi-national corporations, water companies, cooperatives, partnerships, and individuals. He has litigated numerous general adjudication claims in Arizona and Utah. Mr. Snow has also litigated quiet title, easement, right-of-way and condemnation claims in both states.