How does a rural water tap work?

How does a rural water tap work? The rural water district has decided to run 4-inch pipe past my land. I know I have to buy a share to get a tap. I know I have to pay for the water I use. The line is pressurized according to the NRCS agent. I want one tap to use for both domestic and livestock. There must be a splitter involved to separate the water for those two uses? Will I have to pressurize the water more for house use? Also, the NRCS agent mentioned that I can use this one tap for multiple livestock tanks spread out over the land. Does each tank have a float so that the tanks can be in series?
The water is chlorinated :(. What else would you ask the water district manager?
Thank you!

Can you refuse the tap?  Can you have a well instead?  Or collect rainwater?

I would do a lot to avoid chlorinated water.

I believe you can refuse hook up onto it, however you still are required to pay for it.

This comes from the idea that in order to provide a water service to an area, everyone must contribute to the cost and maintenance of that water line. I am not saying I agree with that assessment, but that is how they justify forcing people to go on water systems.

But I am in no expert in this area by any means, and I could be wrong.

you should find out if water has flouride in it, you can get chlorine out but flouride cannot be removed

Bruce: fluoride won't off-gas? Or Flouridine? I tried to look into this, but as I am already on well water, I gave up.

bruce Fine wrote:you should find out if water has flouride in it, you can get chlorine out but flouride cannot be removed

Fluoride actually can be removed. A reverse osmosis filter is needed to do it. Carbon block filters are pretty good at removing chlorine, but the fluoride molecule is so tiny it just passes right on through.

Cost breakdown for tap:
$1000 for a Benefit Unit which allows me to join the Rural Water District. I don't have to join or use their water. The Benefit Unit gets me a line and a meter hook-up with at least 25# of pressure. They do not have a Water Plant but they do chlorinate the water. I found test results of the water from 2017 and it looks pretty good. A Pasture Tap is $200/year or 20,000 gallons. It's $3.25/1000 gallons for every gallon over 20,000.

A new well $7,000. A solar panel and pump: $6,000.

There is an abandoned windmill on the North end which I have not had checked out. It either broke or went dry but no one remembers which and the water will be too salty for me but hopefully not too salty for animals. I could have it checked out and if it's got water put a solar pump on it and have Fair(salty) water.

On the South end there is electricity at a compressor station. I don't know yet the cost to get my own pole there so I have electric. Drilling a well would cost around $7,000.

Mostly the water is for livestock so they don't have to walk over a mile to get water on the North end or a 1/2 mile on the South end. Taps would make Managed Intensive Grazing more easily doable and protect the land from erosion where animals have to go back and forth from paddocks to water a 1/2 a mile or a mile away.

I'm not at all happy about the chlorine but it's cost prohibitive to drill two wells which will both be salty. Truly, I'm overwhelmed. There are so many variables involved in making the place livable and money is tight so I'm anxious about making the wrong choices.

denise, you've said "livestock" but not the type? For an outside the box idea, if there is still water at the windmill, is it possible to use your livestock to move their water to the south end? Either by having them pull a cart with a water tank, or making a simple harness for across their back to hold jugs of water? If you decide to try this, make *sure* you determine a safe load for the size of animal. I do know people who hike with their dogs and the dogs have "backpacks" for at least some of their own needs, but the safe carry limit is based on both the dogs mass, and their body shape. How much of this is a matter of training vs attitude, I don't know!

How much water is needed?
Your profile mentions an average of 23" of rain per year.
That's about 14.5 gallons of water a year,  from every square foot of collecting surface.
How cheap can collecting surface be?
It could be as simple as tarp laid on the ground, held down by rocks.
Not a good long term solution, but you get the idea.
Storage is another cost.
Ponds could be the cheapest solution there,  and they double as collecting surface, but also allow for evaporation.

Depending on what they use to chlorinate the water,  exposure to sun can remove a lot it,so I would probably get the pasture hook up use it to irrigate trees and other perennials.
I might  fill microponds with the irrigation water,  and grow food on floating rafts, or grow azolla and duckweed.
This would buy time to work on rainwater collection infrastructure, and be a back up during dry times.

Jay Angler and William Bronson, you are both certainly thinking outside the box! Livestock is cattle. 50 to 60 head of stockers for about 4 months a year, in future.  They won't be around long enough to train to carry their own water. ;0)