The US Department of Agriculture is investing $256 million in 81 projects–including one in South Dakota– to improve water and wastewater infrastructure in rural areas in 35 states.
South Dakota is receiving one of the 81 rural water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Mid-Dakota Rural Water System has been awarded a $31,272,000 USDA loan. This Rural Development investment will be used to help alleviate low pressure and capacity issues in the Mid-Dakota Rural Water System and will aid in providing additional water resources to meet current and future demands.
“Strong infrastructure is critical to keeping South Dakota’s communities thriving, and USDA is proud to help improve the livelihood of our towns by providing access to reliable water and wastewater Julie Gross SD State Director systems,” said Julie Gross, USDA Rural Development South Dakota State Director. “Projects like these are critical to the economy, health, and future of our rural areas, and today 25 million South Dakota residents now have improved water and wastewater services.”
The project will install 17.5 miles of waterline parallel to the existing waterline along Highway 14 between Highmore and Wolsey. In addition, a new 1.5-million-gallon water tower will be constructed in Highmore to increase above-ground storage. A booster station will be constructed near Wolsey to increase flow and pressure to all users and meet the demands of the current users. Mid-Dakota’s service area covers about 7,000 square miles, including 16 communities in 14 counties. This project will serve approximately 6.5 percent of the rural population in South Dakota. Additional funding includes a $3.8 million Rural Development Water & Waste Disposal Guarantee through CoBank, the first of its kind done in South Dakota.
