West Fargo Switching to Fargo Water June 1st

Something new will be coming out of the pipes in West Fargo.

The city is switching its water supply, linking up to the city of Fargo’s supply.

People looking for a drink in West Fargo will soon notice a significant change in their water.

It’s a change some people are very excited to see.

Barb Murray lives in the shadow of a West Fargo water tower.

Water that she says leaves something to be desired.

“The water is just fair,” Wallace says. “It’s good to shower in. It’s good to cook with, but the taste is not all that good.”

The good news for Barb?

West Fargo is getting a new water source, hooking up with the city of Fargo’s supply.

The city is growing too fast for its current supply.

“Currently around 35,000 people,” says the city’s Public Works Director, Chris Brungardt. “We’re gonna have a buildup of about 45,000 people, we estimate, in five to seven years.”

West Fargo gets its water from underground aquifers.

The city only has permits to draw enough water for 37,000 people.

Officials weighed their options.

Then the city of Fargo stepped in.

Fargo just approved a land purchase agreement to build booster pump stations to link to two cities’ water supplies.

West Fargo will stop using its own aquifers and rely entirely on the City of Fargo’s water supply.

That means goodbye to water many people aren’t a fan of.

“Just a tiny aftertaste with it,” Murray explains. “You know, room for improvement.”

The switch happens June 1st.

Before that, West Fargo will flush its water pipes.

Residents will notice some quality issues, but officials stress that the water will still be safe to drink.

“Some yellow water,” says Brungardt. “Some rust. It’ll be fairly significant when we do it now.”

The taste will change once Fargo water is linked up.

Water from the two sides will be mixed at first.

Brungardt says, “It’s like what happens when you mix a Coke together with a 7–Up. Well, what’s gonna happen? We probably have a pretty good idea. Nothing bad’s gonna happen.”

Eventually West Fargo pipes will carry pure Fargo water, a refreshing change for West Fargo residents like Barb.

West Fargo won’t be running out of water any time soon. Under the agreement with the city of Fargo, West Fargo can use more than twice as much water than the city has ever used in a day.