NEWELL, S.D. – Technicians with the Butte Meade Sanitary Water District spend two hours every day driving the 90-mile circuit to check the district’s wells. It’s been a growing expense for the system, and one they hope to eliminate by using a loan from the National Rural Water Association to install a radio telemetry system.
                “If you figure about $25 an hour and about $30 worth of gas, it costs $80 a day,”
 explains District Manager Rick Richards.
                The water district provides water for about 2,000 people including the communities of Vale and Fruit Dale. The district also supplies water several rural subdivisions and a fish and game recreation center. District technicians check the wells daily to measure the levels of water, chlorine and fluorine.
                “George Vansco of South Dakota Rural water told me about the loan program and gave me an application form,” Richards said.
                He completed the form and sent it NRWA, where it was approved.
                “It was plumb simple,” Richards said of the process.
                The district plans to use the loan to install a radio telemetry system at the wells.
                “We can check the well on the computer here in the office,” the manager explained.
                Richards sees the system as providing substantial savings in time, money and equipment wear. The telemetry monitors should also allow the district to provide better response and service.
                “We can connect the system to our homes, so it there’s a break or leak we’ll get an alarm or phone call,” he explained. “If there’s a break at night, instead of learning about it in the morning, we can isolate and repair it.” 

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