A win-win

— Rob Dump and Mark Mahoney Cedar County News

HARTINGTON - A proposal to sell water from the City of Hartington to the Cedar-Knox Rural Water Project would be a win-win for everyone involved, Hartington Mayor Mark Becker said.

Becker addressed the Lewis & Clark Natural Resources District Board of Directors on March 22 with a proposal to sell water from Hartington's four city wells to the NRD for the rural drinking water system it oversees.

Annette Sudbeck, the district's general manager, noted the city has asked for the Cedar-Knox advisory committee to make a recommendation to the NRD board to consider hooking the rural water project up to Hartington's drinking water system.

Cedar-Knox, which has been searching for a new water source for several years, serves more than 900 rural connections – about 7,000 people – across parts of northern Cedar and Knox counties, including several sanitary improvement districts, recreational areas and businesses along Lewis and Clark Lake and the Missouri River, along with the communities of Crofton, Fordyce, St. Helena and Obert.

The rural water project currently pulls water from the river in the Devils Nest region of Knox County. Silt and the rural water system's age – it dates back to the early 1980s – have become major issues, however, and Cedar-Knox will need to find another water source sooner than later.

The NRD is currently considering a proposal that would connect the rural water project to the City of Yankton, S.D., drinking water system.

"The Cedar-Knox Rural Water Project also has on the table – reviewing the contract with the City of Yankton," Sudbeck said.

She said in March the NRD board ratified the contract with Yankton "as to form" – meaning both sides agree the contract is where they want it to be at if they were to o$cially agree to it.

The Yankton proposal would require boring and installing pipes – and other infrastructure work – under the river to bring water back to Nebraska from that city's water treatment plant.

The cost to connect Cedar-Knox to Yankton's system has been estimated at $29 million-$30 million, mainly due to the infrastructure that would need to be installed.

By connecting to Hartington's system instead of Yankton's, the rural water project would get the infrastructure and other work done at a huge savings, Becker said.

The cost of providing water to Cedar-Knox customers would also be less, he said, which could enable the rural water project to bring in even more customers.

Hooking Cedar-Knox up to Hartington's system also would provide extra revenue for the city.

The city currently has..........

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