Construction of a pipeline that will take some Fort Dodge water to Manson was approved Monday by the City Council.

The council hired Gehrke Inc., of Eldora, to build the water main at a cost of $1,302,066. Councilwoman Lydia Schuur was absent from the otherwise unanimous vote.

The new main will begin at the ag industrial park called Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation and proceed northwest to Manson.

Engineers have calculated that Manson has an average daily water demand of 225,000 gallons, which the Fort Dodge water system can provide.

The idea of linking Fort Dodge and Manson with a water main emerged in 2021 after the Calhoun County city had no luck drilling a new well that yielded water, despite multiple attempts.

Design of the new water main began in 2022.

Fort Dodge residents will not be paying for the water main. Manson will pay $700,000. The rest of the money will come from fees charged to residents and businesses that hook up to the main, along with some money from a state revolving loan fund.

Other bidders for the project were Keller Excavating Inc., Boone, $1,340,350; On Track Construction, Nevada, $1,471,935; King Contracting LLC, Wall Lake, $1,616,475; and Riley Armstrong Plumbing & Heating, $1,665,943.