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CARPIO Carpio-area residents aren't sure how long they will have to wait for good water even though a hookup is waiting for them in a Northwest Area Water Supply pipeline only a half-mile away.

Water began flowing through the pipeline Dec. 7 on its way from Minot to Kenmare. The problem for Carpio is there's no money yet to tap into the pipeline and build a distribution system for the water.

The city of Carpio had hoped to receive water from NAWS next year through the North Central Water Consortium. The consortium, which consists of North Prairie Rural Water District and Central Plains Water District, plans to purchase water from NAWS to bring service to at least 65 subscribers in Carpio and about 100 more subscribers in the rural area.

The consortium needs about $3 million to build a distribution system for the town and the surrounding rural area. It is seeking grants to make the project affordable.

"I would be really nice if we could figure something out," Carpio Mayor Jamie Armstrong said. He said the toughest part of the delay is "not knowing what to tell the residents in Carpio if they are going to get water or not. ... It's disappointing because they won't give you any sort of an answer. They just keep waiting for funding."

Darrell Hournbuckle, the consortium's engineer with Interstate Engineering, said there wasn't an opportunity to get federal funding for 2010 through the Municipal, Rural and Industrial program. The consortium is working with Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., to get funding into the 2011 budget.

Money might be available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program to get started next summer on a system for the town of Carpio only. The problem is that separating Carpio with its higher population concentration from the rest of the project jeopardizes the financial feasibility of getting water to the scattered rural customers, Hournbuckle said.

"No one wants to just abandon the rural people," Hournbuckle said.

The Rural Development program would provide 45 percent financing, compared to the 75 percent financing associated with MR&I funds.

"It means the cost to each individual could be quite a bit higher," Hournbuckle said.

The latest figures, based on costs last spring, showed that North Prairie could bring a pipeline to within 50 feet of homes at a cost of $525 per customer. Residents would be responsible for the hookups to their homes. Once water is delivered, the cost was projected to be $49 a month to cover operating, plus $4.60 per 1,000 gallons. The average household uses 4,000 to 5,000 gallons a month.

Carpio residents are working through the consortium rather than directly with NAWS because they have no public water system. Residents are served by private wells.

Residents have had problems with wells going dry, and water quality is an issue. Armstrong said one homebuyer was required to put in a reverse osmosis system to qualify for a mortgage. The community's stockholder-owned cafe has hauled water from Minot because its well water hasn't met quality standards.