Water Sources: Rural Water District - Public Water Supply
Overview
Rural water districts deliver water to rural areas and small communities not served by municipal water systems. These districts deliver a reliable source of water that meets the US Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking water standards. Water supplied by rural water districts can be used as a pressurized livestock water source.
Advantages
- Reliable with few interruptions or outages.
- Higher-quality water than may otherwise be available for livestock use.
- Water system maintenance is not the user’s responsibility.
- Water is already pressurized.
Disadvantages
- May not be available in a location where livestock water is needed.
- Cost to extend a service line for livestock water use may be prohibitive.
- Long privately installed lines may be necessary to deliver water to desired location from the rural water system pipeline.
- May be more expensive than other livestock water sources.
- Rural water district may not have capacity to add additional users.
Design Considerations
Rural water districts typically require an application and have a connection fee. This fee is usually modest when the district is in the planning stages. Once the district has installed water lines, the fee may increase. Grants and low-interest loans are often used to offset some of the costs of establishing a rural water district, but these cost offset measures are generally not available after the district has been set up for expanding the water distribution system. A new user may need to pay for the total cost of an extension water line to connect to the district. Water districts may not seek to expand their systems due to district finances and the ability to supply additional water.
A rural water district charges a minimum monthly fee that covers a specific amount of water use. If livestock only use rural water during part of the year, the monthly cost must continue to be paid even if the water is not used. Additional charges are levied for water used in excess of the specified amount included in the monthly fee. This is an incentive to conserve water.
