ALEXANDER -- Jim Fixen first saw rust continue to show up in the prefilters of the the reverse osmosis system that's part of the city's water system. Then there was less water being generated by the city's main water well that was first drilled in 2002 and was redrilled in 2004.

"We had a driller come in and drill down into the well at 300 and some feet and then he came about 120 feet. He thinks there's a hole in the (well) casing there," said Fixen, the head of the city's water department. "So we can't pump that well with the capacity that we need to keep going."

Fixen then approached the Tri-County Regional Development Council in Williston to review the city's situation. Council director Everette Enno worked with Fixen and the North Dakota Department of Commerce to get a $270,193 grant for Alexander to rectify the problem.

"It ended up being an emergency situation," said Enno. "We went in and worked with the city and we prepared an emergency application to the governor's set aside fund for the Community Development Block Grant program.

Enno said emergency funds are for things that are unexpected and pose a health and safety hazard for residents. "The city justified it by saying it couldn't provide all of the city's residents with water," Enno said. "The biggest issue was it wouldn't have fire protection. The capacity just wouldn't be there."

The state requires city's to have at least two wells, with one to be a backup, Fixen said. During the high volume summer season, Alexander uses an average of 110,000 gallons of water, he said.

Enno said the city also was able to get an exemption from being required to formally bid the new well construction process.

The city instead can select a contractor of its choice, which should help get the new well completed sooner, he added.

Plans for the new well were being reviewed late last week and then were expected to be sent to the state engineer for approval, Fixen said. The new well is to include a larger casing to allow more water to be produced, he added.

"The combination of the state grant and the funding from the city's general fund will cover the entire cost of the project, so residents will not have to be assessed," Enno said. "This new well will provide a stable source of water for years to come."

Alexander City Auditor Ann Mracheck said the new well should provide peace of mind for residents regarding its water supply for household and fire needs.

"We were extremely relieved when this came through for us," she said of the grant funding.