Haakon School is located in the city of Philip, near the Badlands National Park in the southwest quadrant of South Dakota. The town overlies the Madison Formation which is a large-area aquifer. The aquifer has a demonstrated capability to produce geothermal water. A system to tap this potential and heat the Haakon School District buildings in Philip has been in operation since November 1980. Five school buildings having a total area of 44,000 ft2 (4088 m2) are heated with 157F (69C) water. A single well provides water at a maximum artesian flow of 340 gpm (21.5 L/s), which more than meets the heat demand of the school buildings