Surrounded by new oil millionaires, Greg Nordsven might be able to retire selling water.

Pennies - like royalties on a barrel of oil - can add up fast.

Nordsven plans to drill a well into the Horse Nose Aquifer and sell water to oil companies who use it to stimulate oil production.

He knows how the business goes firsthand, because he's superintendent of water systems for Killdeer, which sells millions of gallons to oil companies and is making a tidy bit of revenue doing it.

The State Water Commission has approved a permit for Nordsven to draw 80 acre feet � 260 million gallons - annually. Now that it's approved, he'll go ahead, drill the well, install a meter and be ready to pump within the month.

By charging the same 1 cent a gallon Killdeer does, he's looking at $260,000 in potential annual revenue.

Assistant Killdeer auditor Cheryl Berry said it's not likely Nordsven's water depot will affect the town much. There are a lot of wells being drilled, and it's likely he'll pull companies that are already moving out of Killdeer's mileage range, she said.

"They'll go get water someplace else because it's getting too far to drive," she said. "It's an opportunity, and whether it's a city employee or not, I don't think anyone has a feeling about that."

Killdeer has scooped up $210,000 in raw water sales so far this year, with six months still to go.

Nordsven's water depot will be located 20 miles east of Killdeer between Halliday and Dunn Center, the same direction oil exploration is pushing in Dunn County as it edges over toward Mercer County.

For every well, oil companies use about 750,000 gallons of water to fracture the Bakken formation and release oil.

Nordsven said he asked for 400 acre feet in his permit, but the water commission dialed that down to 80 acre feet with room to expand if necessary.

The Dunn County Planning and Zoning Commission approved his industrial land use Wednesday, with the condition that his water permit is in order before he proceeds.

Ray Kadrmas, a zoning commissioner and member of the Dunn County Commission, said the zoning only had to do with land use.

He said a water depot out in that part of the county should spread out the water truck traffic instead of forcing it all into Killdeer. He said it also would take some pressure off the Killdeer Aquifer, where Killdeer draws its water.

Kadrmas said one neighbor expressed concern about the effect on his well in the same Horse Nose Aquifer and about dust from truck traffic on the gravel road.

He said the Water Commission should monitor the aquifer and dust suppression would have to be addressed by the county commission.

Nordsven said he doesn't expect to impact the aquifer.

"The hydrologist said there's a lot of water where we're at," he said.

(Reach reporter Lauren Donovan at 888-303-5511 or lauren@westriv.com.)