Well water not only option
The water at Ruby Dallman’s rural home sometimes isn’t clear. That, along with the strong smell that often accompanies it, drew her interest in hooking onto the Southwest Water Pipeline.
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The water at Ruby Dallman’s rural home sometimes isn’t clear. That, along with the strong smell that often accompanies it, drew her interest in hooking onto the Southwest Water Pipeline.
Rural Dunn, Mercer and Oliver county residents now have another chance to buy into the water project and the Southwest Water Authority is holding informational meetings regarding the opportunity next week in Hazen and Zap.
Between 1,100 and 1,200 people have signed up to receive water in those counties, said Bruce Koppinger, Southwest Water Authority marketing coordinator.
The area was canvassed in 2007 and now rural residents who use well water will have another opportunity to sign up for Southwest Water.
The Southwest Pipeline Project will allow people like Dallman, who owns a ranch west of Zap, to have clean, treated water. Dallman relies on spring water to use in her home, along with the three other homes on her property.
“They all get water out of my basement, where we have holding tanks,” Dallman said. “We use it for everything.”
She filters the spring water, but said it’s still not the quality of water she would like.
“It’s unpleasant, because it’s just not clear,” Dallman said. “It sometimes gets a strong smell.”
The Southwest Pipeline Project is conducting a final sign-up campaign for rural residents of the Zap, Hazen, Stanton, Beulah and Pick City areas, also known as the Zap Service Area.
“We want to make sure that we get everybody who wants to sign up for water to sign up so that way when we design the project we have the customers right away and we know what size pipe and so on to build the project,” Koppinger said. “It’s the last time to sign up at the reduced rate of $750.”
If residents choose to sign on after the project has begun, they will have to hire a contractor, Koppinger said. The cost could be up to $10,000, he added.
“If people don’t sign up now, they can sign up later, but then it would be $1,500 for the sign-up fee after the design is started and then there’s no guarantee that there will be capacity for them,” Koppinger said. “That’s why it’s such an important point to have people sign up now so they’re part of the project right away.”
About 2,100 rural residents in Oliver and Mercer counties were recently mailed canvassing cards from SWA, Koppinger said.
The cards ask residents if they are interested in receiving water from the SWPP and must be returned by March 17. Residents already signed up with SWA are asked to verify their address and any change in ownership.
The standard monthly cost for a home is $41, which includes 2,000 gallons of water.
Southwest brings the pipeline into their yard and it’s their responsibility to connect it to their home, Koppinger said.
Southwest Water estimates all rural residents who sign up in Dunn, Oliver and Mercer counties will have water piped to their homes in 10 years. Some in the Zap area may get water in as soon as two years, Koppinger said.
Tags: southwest water authority, news, local, water
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