MARSHALL — Plans for Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water to build a water tower north of Green Valley took a step forward this week. Lyon County Commissioners approved a conditional use permit for the proposed tower Tuesday.

The water tower will help serve the city of Cottonwood, as well as other LPRW customers, said Lyon County Zoning Administrator John Biren.

“It’s going to be used on, all the way up to the Minnesota river,” Biren said. “It is going to have a tie-in with the town of Cottonwood, but it’s going to service a large area.”

Last year, the city of Cottonwood voted to connect to the LPRW system instead of using city well water. Cottonwood’s wells have high levels of minerals, and the city had considered solutions including filtration and a reverse osmosis system, before opting to join LPRW.

Biren said LPRW was seeking a permit to build a 500,000 gallon water tower in Section 35 of Vallers Township. The location was about a couple of miles north of Green Valley.

While some of the details of the tower structure were still being decided, Biren said his understanding was that the base would be concrete, with a steel structure on top. “It would look really similar to the (tower) south of Minneota.”

“It meets our setbacks,” Biren said of the proposal. He said there were also “minimal” conditions on the permit. Conditions included that the road approach design for the project be presented to Vallers Township, and that road conditions be reviewed with Vallers Township both before and after construction.

Biren said LPRW also had a history in Lyon County. “They’ve been good neighbors,” and the tower would provide an essential service.

“Once it’s there, people will see it. But it’ll blend in with the landscape,” he said.

Biren said no public comments were received at a public hearing on the permit. “I did reach out to the township board, and they had no concerns,” he said.