The Hayden Lake Irrigation District’s 7,200 patrons will get a chance to decide in November whether they want to pay for a water storage facility that will provide enough of the wet stuff for adequate fire protection and daily summer lawn watering.

If it passes, a $6.8 million bond initiative in next month’s election would secure the funding to build a 161-foot, 2 million gallon tank along U.S. 95 near the Lacey Avenue intersection.

Community members may ask questions about the water tank, the bond election and learn about the project at an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 15 at the district’s office, 2160 W. Dakota Ave. in Hayden.

Patrons who for years have been on alternate-day water schedules have crossed their fingers in the event of emergencies that would require more water to be drawn from the district’s 78 miles of pipes.

“In the event we need more water, we would take a chance at depressurizing the system,” District Administrator Branden Rose said. “We would run out of water.”

Although the district has six wells, it relies on an antiquated 75,000-gallon storage tank along Strahorn Avenue, on the east side of U.S. 95, that is a century old. It harkens to the days when lake water was stored to irrigate farms on the Rathdrum Prairie.

Despite its small capacity and limited use, the tank’s inside is deteriorating and requires a costly upgrade.

As the northwest corner of the greater Coeur d’Alene and Hayden area adds homes and subdivisions at a rapid pace, water use is continually taxed.

“That tank would put us well over 20 years,” Rose said.

Although the tower along the highway would provide enough storage to account for the area’s growth, the location has been a point of contention.

The city of Hayden is concerned that the tower would be a blemish at the city’s gateway, and airport officials said it will impede air traffic.

But the irrigation district earlier in the process submitted a half dozen sites that it deemed feasible locations and they were all shot down by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The site along U.S. 95, which is on land that belongs to the district, was the only site the FAA approved.

Even though the FAA found the proposed water tower was not a hazard to air traffic, airport director Steven Kjergaard said the tower will affect small plane traffic, which is the airport’s bread and butter.

“Eighty to 85 percent of our traffic is from those aircraft,” Kjergaard said. “It negatively impacts the airport.”

Patrons in the district, which serves neighborhoods from Sunshine Meadows and Strawberry Fields north to the Rathdrum Prairie, will see an eight percent increase in their water bills for two years if the bond passes. After that , the increase will be four percent for two years before it drops to the normal two percent annual increase.

Because it is a district election, voters on Nov. 5 must cast their ballots at the district office.