BROOKINGS — The years-long water sourcing saga at Edgebrook Golf Course could be wrapping up in the next 12 to 16 months, with raw water from Brookings Municipal Utilities emerging as the favorite solution to the problem.

The Park & Recreation Advisory Board supported Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Kristin Zimmerman’s recommendation at its meeting Tuesday night. The issue will now advance to an upcoming City Council meeting for further consideration by the councilors.

The proposal would connect Edgebrook to BMU’s raw water— that’s water straight from the aquifer with no treatment — line near where the Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern rail line passes under Interstate 29. The total construction cost is pegged at $1,276,530 — $896,000 for actual construction and another $380,530 for golf course pond improvements. The 10-year cost for the option, which includes BMU water fees, is estimated at $1,334,607.50.

The raw water approach replaces one that had taken center stage earlier in the process: a well south of Edgebrook. Its overall cost estimate came in at $1,231,530, which is $103,077.50 cheaper than the raw water option, but Zimmerman said it also came with several caveats:

• The land acquisition cost is estimated at $150,000, but it’s variable in nature.
• There’s only one well that’s confirmed to be viable.
• Maintenance concerns, including if the well goes bad and/or if the communications system goes bad between the pump and the well.

On the other hand, the BMU raw water option has in its favor:

• No land acquisition costs, as roughly 1 mile of pipeline work would take place along a city trail easement.
• No concerns about stability of water source, as there are multiple wells.
• Fewer long-term maintenance costs.

Zimmerman said the general timeline from start to finish is:

• Design taking place this spring and summer.
• Construction bids, requests for proposals this summer and fall.
• Construction commencing in spring 2026.
• Completion in summer 2026.

The city is working with Banner & Associates on the project, and Zimmerman is hopeful that the timeline can be further refined in the months ahead.

While the city has approximately $1.6 million in reserves set aside for Edgebrook, of which the water sourcing project would use most of those funds, there are also other possible needs in the coming years. These include:

• The clubhouse, which is currently using a septic system. If it fails, a hookup into BMU sewer lines would be required — which would be a significant cost due to the distance from 22^nd Avenue to the clubhouse.
• Then there’s the golf course’s irrigation system, where improvements are planned in the coming years — right now, it’s envisioned to be a semi double row system that’s “laser-focused on the playable areas at the golf course,” according to Zimmerman. The irrigation system carries with it an estimated price tag of slightly over $2 million, per information in her presentation.

• Returning to the clubhouse, she noted that it “needs a lot of love,” saying that it hasn’t really been improved much since its construction in the 1980s. “Community facilities of that age just, you see their age,” Zimmerman said, adding that grant opportunities are being explored because improvements to the clubhouse could wind up costing a couple million dollars.

— Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.