Beneath our feet lies an endless system of pipes, transporting one of life's most basic necessities into our homes.

Water is a luxury sometimes taken for granted, but for many rural North Dakota residents, having quality water is a luxury often lost.

Earlier this week, representatives from rural water districts across the state gathered in Minot for the Water Systems Expo & Conference.

Water district employees and board members visited with regional exhibitors and attended educational workshops.

Melody Kruckenberg is Executive Director of North Dakota Rural Water and says the need for quality water is high right now.

She says many rural water projects are already in progress- each with the same goal in mind.

(Melody Kruckenberg, ND Rural Water Dir.) "Well I think a lot of people would be surprised to learn that there's still people that haul water. There are a lot of people in this state that don't have clean, pottable water to drink. That is our goal though, to get water to every citizen in North Dakota, clean, quality water."


In addition to exhibits and educational workshops, the expo also featured its yearly water taste contest.

This year's winning water sample came from the Southcentral regional water system near Bismarck. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list