Vinland ? Douglas County Rural Water District No. 4 is preparing to pump $1.25 million into a project designed to satisfy the district’s growing thirst by tapping into a Johnson County water supply.

Officials say building a new pump station east of Eudora and installing four miles of new water pipes should douse concerns that the district’s existing system isn’t big enough to fill its needs, now or in the future.

A 2-year-old ban on accepting new customers is set to be lifted once the project comes on line, possibly by the end of next year.

“I’d say the district is 10 years behind in terms of being ready for growth,” said Scott Schultz, administrator for the district that serves rural customers in southeastern Douglas County. “This project will give us a bridge to the future.”

The district’s existing system provides treated water to about 900 customers, who together account for about 3,000 residents. The district generally covers the rural area east of U.S. Highway 59, between the Wakarusa River and U.S. Highway 56.

The district hasn’t sold a single water meter in two years because the system would be hard pressed to squeeze another drop from its daily capacity of 525,000 gallons, Schultz said. And that existing water load doesn’t include the 50 customers who already own meters but haven’t hooked onto the system yet.

With existing supply contracts already stretched with the cities of Lawrence and Baldwin, the district turned to another water source for help.

Johnson County Rural Water District No. 6 agreed to sell some of its excess supply to help out its neighbor, whose customer list has grown 6.6 percent since 1995 while collective water sales have swelled by nearly 40 percent.

Chalk up the increased use to an increasing number of suburbanites looking to the edges of town for rural simplicity coupled with urban proximity.

“The kind of customer that lives in the county has changed,” Schultz said. “It used to be mainly farmer- and agriculture-type uses, but more and more it’s people who have a higher demand for water per household.

“They have more appliances, they might have an above-ground swimming pool … and they want to water their landscaping — bushes, trees and flowers — more than they did before. It’s a higher-end customer, … and these folks are used to using more water than the folks who have lived here historically.”

And more appear to be on the way.

The Vinland-based district expects to double its customer list within the next 20 years, according to a study compiled for the district by Ponzer-Youngquist Consulting Engineers.

¢ 6News video: Rural water customers to tap into Johnson County supply¢ Kansas Rural Water Assn.

The new residents will be expected to pay more for a chance to enjoy treated drinking water. New meters will cost $7,700 once they go back on sale, a $2,000 increase.

Since the meter moratorium took effect, 125 names have been added to a waiting list for meters.

The demand rightfully has pushed the utility to seek an outlet for its expanding needs, said Bob Johnson, a Douglas County commissioner who lives in the district. Working with another district — even in Johnson County — simply makes sense.

“It creates the opportunity for additional growth,” he said.

Construction of the new pump station and connecting water lines is expected to begin in April. The entire project should be finished no later than 2004, Schultz said.