GRAND FORKS (AP) - A pipeline to bring Missouri River to the Red River Valley in a drought would cost the city of Grand Forks an estimated $27 million, the city engineer says.

Grand Forks homeowners, who pay an average of $27.73 a month for 8,000 gallons, likely would see an increase of $3 to $5 a month, city engineer Al Grasser said.

Grasser discussed the numbers on Tuesday with the City Council's service and safety committee. Most city leaders have indicated general support for the project.

The pipeline has an estimated price tag of $660 million, including federal and state money. Under the most optimistic scenario, Missouri River water would be available in 2013.

The project, which must be approved by the federal Interior Department, would divert water from Lake Sakakawea to Lake Ashtabula using the McClusky Canal.

Grand Forks officials are being asked to sign an agreement with other communities that are part of the Lake Agassiz Water Authority, the umbrella organization working on the Missouri pipeline project.

Grasser said the agreement is, in a way, a test of commitment. Legislators would want assurance that if they fund the project, the communities would come through with their own funding, he said.

Under one payment scenario, 28 communities would be responsible for $220 million of the cost. They range from huge users such as Fargo to smaller ones such as Cooperstown. Industrial water users, such as the American Crystal Sugar plant in Hillsboro, are separated.

The top users, including Fargo and West Fargo, would pay $3.11 million per cubic feet per second of water. Midlevel users such as Grand Forks would pay $1.87 million per cfs. Small rural users would pay $1.66 million per cfs. With state subsidies, the cost to industrial users, which would normally rank among the top users, would be $780,000 per cfs.

During a drought, when the pumps are working full time, Grasser said those numbers likely would go up slightly.