Jay R. Winter -
Essay:
Water is a commodity that most people take for granted.
We don't think twice about turning on the tap. The majority of us
assume it will always be there, always be fit to drink, and never end.
It is shocking and unbelievable if the water doesn't flow immediately when
we want it.
Prior to the arrival of Mid-Dakota Rural Water, my family
experienced first hand what it was like to not have good quality water, and
also not have water at all. The original surface well for our home
became contaminated. Then later, during a dry year, the water table dropped
making the well completely unusable.
Artesian water was piped from a neighbor's well, but the water flow
remaining very low. Running the washing machine in the house meant no
water going to the stock tank in the pasture. Rinsing dishes meant
showers were sometimes exciting.
Because of the minerals in the artesian well water, plumbing
fixtures and appliances that use water needed to be replaced more often.
A water softener was a necessary expense. Clothing didn't last as long
and cleaning took longer.
There was no question that my family would commit to the new rural
water system early in the sign up process. Waiting was not easy, but
it has been worth the wait. We have not abandoned the water
conservation practices that were necessary when our supply was not always
adequate. But we are now more confident that we will have dependable
high quality water into the future.
I would like to
express my appreciation to Mid-Dakota Rural Water System for the scholarship
that was given to me. I will put this award to very good use as I begin
pursuing my Mechanical Engineering degree at South Dakota State University
this September.
Your assistance will ease my burden of financing the education I
know I need to be successful in my chosen career. Thank you for your
generosity and support!
Sincerely,
Jay R. Winter
Shelby Marie Hyde -
Essay:
Mid-Dakota and My Family
I have lived on my family farm all my life and most of my
life I have lived with artesian water. To some this may not sound so
bad. Some say that the mineral is good for you, but I believe ours was
too strong. It got to the point that we would have to buy water from
Pierre because our water was so bad that you would become sick if you drank
it. We didn't replace our water softeners because the artesian water
was so hard it would corrode the water softener. Now we don't need a
softener as the Mid-Dakota water is "good right from the faucet". I
have been living with Mid-Dakota water for about 6 years and our water
problems are no longer an issue. Mid-Dakota has made our life easier!
Some of our problems with the artesian water were that the well was
ruining our appliances. We had to replace lots of clothes washers and
dishwashers because of the water's minerals rusting them out over a short
amount of time. Our clothes would be covered in rust stains therefore
we usually chose darker clothing. The hot water heater would contain
so much of the mineral that it would get corroded and the inside of the
dishwasher would rust out. Now that we have Mid-Dakota we haven't had
to replace any of our appliances due to rust.
The Mid-Dakota water systems have done a lot of good for my family.
Without the quality water from Mid-Dakota we would still be hauling drinking
water and still be replacing our appliances frequently. Families just
like mine have been having the same sort of problems and Mid-Dakota is
helping all over the country. It is good to know Mid-Dakota is
watching out for us.
Jeremy
J. Simon -Essay:
A Vision of Rural Water Expansion
Few things are as important to public health and economic
growth as a steady supply of clean water. These features are at the
core of what Mid-Dakota Rural Water Systems is based upon. Their rural
water is considered high quality water which is being distributed in
thirteen counties, one of which I am glad to say is Potter County.
Not only is Mid-Dakota supplying people with clean water for
themselves, their supply of quality water is also serving to aid in improved
livestock production. This high quality water supply has an impact on
improving the overall health of livestock. In addition, Mid-Dakota
also provides many jobs for people in rural areas.
In my community, we had many water lines break and the city's water
line was slowly moving down towards the river. The city experienced
about twenty breaks within a two year time frame which cost the city
thousands of dollars in salaries as well as hired labor to repair the water
lines. Because of the high number of gallons of water used in
Gettysburg, the community was becoming concerned about their continued
ability to supply adequate water to the residents. Gettysburg was in
much danger of losing their water supply system as it was quickly starting
to fail. The hills were shifting around the water supply source and
the water system was continuing to slide into the river. All of these
conditions were leading to a water supply that was damaged as well as
insecure. Gettysburg was not scheduled for rural water system
implementation until 1998. However, due to the crisis; in 1997 several
individuals (including a Mid-Dakota board member and the general manager)
flew to Washington, DC to express the importance for Mid-Dakota to get extra
funding that was necessary in order for Gettysburg to obtain their supply of
rural water sooner than originally scheduled. Our community was very
fortunate as the funding was granted, but only through the hard work and
determination of several different entities.
Mid-Dakota Rural Water System had a vision, one that would provide
safe drinking water in rural, domestic and municipal areas, thus enhancing
the quality of life. This vision was only achieved through the
collaboration of many individuals who sought to improve the lives of all
affected by rural water. It was due to this vision that our community
was able to achieve a higher standard of living, for which we will all be
forever grateful.
Melissa Bushfield -
Essay:
Mid Dakota water has been very important to my family,
community, and even me. During the drought this past year, my father
relied on the water in our pastures to water our cattle herd since our
dugouts were dry. Without this water supply, my father would have been
forced to haul water to save our herd. The impact of not being able to
keep our cattle would have been devastating to my family since they have
worked hard over the past twenty-seven years to build it up to what it is
today.
My community has been affected by Mid Dakota by the jobs that it
provides to many in my area and because of the good quality water it
provides. I can remember how happy my area was, when they were hooking
up our lines, to finally have good tasting water instead of having to buy
bottled water. Not only were we looking forward to having water we
actually could drink "straight from the tap", we were happy to be rid of
water softeners that ruined our faucets.
Mid Dakota water has also been incredibly reliable. Even
during the terrible ice storm that covered South Dakota, the people of my
community were able to turn on their tap and still have the clean, quality
water that Mid Dakota provides. Before this, everyone had to worry
about frozen pipes and rusty water during these times. Not having that
additional worry has been a huge relief to my entire community.
Mid Dakota's greatest impact on me is that I am now able to buy
white clothes for the first time in my life, and have them remain in that
state - white! I can remember my mother always steering me towards the
gray or other colored t-shirts simply because she knew how that white shirt
would look after only a couple washings.
All of these things illustrate to me how Mid Dakota has benefited
my community, my family, and me. They show how Mid Dakota has brought
quality into my community and "Quality on Tap"!
Alecia
Lynn Johnson -
Essay:
My parents, two older brothers and I moved to
Pierre in autumn of 1998. For a little longer than a year, we hauled
water from town to our house 15 miles away. This weekly thrill of
"hauling water", cannot be fully described in words, only experienced, yet I
will attempt to describe it. My dad drove the rat-infested, 1965 water
truck with one of us kids forced to ride along. We did not know what
we were getting ourselves into when we agreed to the deal of borrowing our
neighbor's water truck on condition that my dad, a mechanic, would fix any
repairs it incurred. We definitely got the worse end of the deal.
The water fill-up was not bad, but the best part of the dreaded trip was the
price: 25 cents per 500 gallons of water. Let's just say the
trip was successful if the 30-mile drive and fill-up took less than an hour.
And these were the good trips.
The worst water-hauling trip happened to my mom. My dad was working
out of town one day, and we ran out of water. So my mom took one of my
brothers along with her to haul water. The trip went fine until they
got to town and attempted to stop at a very busy intersection. Well,
to put it simply, the brakes went out, and my mom crashed into a week-old
Qwest pickup. Luckily, the water truck did not have as much momentum
as it could have after being filled. No one was hurt, but my mom never
laid a finger on the water truck again.
Another, not so embarrassing incident also involved my mom - and me.
We had run out of water again and were about to go on a vacation. My
mom and I decided to go to the YMCA to take showers. That happened to
be the day that the YMCA's water heater broke. I hope I never have to
take an ice-cold shower again!
Now we have water from Mid-Dakota Rural Water. Although our water
costs are no longer 25 cents per 500 gallons, we can take warm showers and
do not have any more accidents. As you can probably guess, my family
definitely appreciates rural water. Thanks!
Dear Scholarship Committee,
Thank you for awarding me your scholarship. It is quite an honor and I
really appreciate it. I cannot yet believe that I have graduated.
Anyway, this fall I will be attending the business school at USD. But
first, this summer, I am starting my own catering/delivery business,
"Something Sweet". Thanks again to all of you and have a great summer.
Blessings, Alecia Johnson
Ashley Johnson -
Essay:
Water, What Would We Do Without It
Water is without a doubt one of the most
important things in the lives of human beings and animals around the world.
Without it, life as we know it would be non-existent. Everything needs
water to survive and also the delicate balance of the Earth would be thrown
off without water too. It is very apparent how important water is to
the survival of our world and with help from rural water systems like
Mid-Dakota the communities off the beaten path can carry out normal lives as
well.
Mid-Dakota has given the rural communities in my area the support we need
to live the lives we love. Without rural water, the majority of the
people living in Hand County and the surrounding counties wouldn't be able
to thrive. Coming from a farming/ranching community, I understand the
great importance placed on having access to water wherever it is needed.
Mid-Dakota has created the availability of farmers and ranchers to fulfill
their needs such as domestic and livestock water. Hook-ups that were
otherwise impossible were made available by the rural water systems of
Mid-Dakota. During the drought we have had in the past few years, the
water Mid-Dakota placed at our disposal saved livestock where no
hope would have been in previous years.
I know from personal experiences on the family farm that we wouldn't be
at our current livestock numbers if we wouldn't have had
support from the rural water system Mid-Dakota. It was a very trying
and stressful time when the decision has to be made whether or not the
livestock would have to go because water was at a shortage. Thankfully, my
family didn't have to completely sell the herd because of the support rural
water has given us. I know without a doubt that my family isn't the
only one who is still going strong thanks to Mid-Dakota's rural water
system.