Joshua Haiar, South Dakota Searchlight
The three members of Congress representing South Dakota introduced House and Senate bills Wednesday to require a federal feasibility study for a potential water pipeline from the Missouri River to the Black Hills.
The legislation would authorize $10 million in federal funding to cover up to 50% of the study’s cost. The nonprofit organization leading the pipeline effort aims to cover the rest of the cost with federal and state funding it’s already received, plus locally raised funds.
Senator John Thune introduced the Senate bill, with Sen. Mike Rounds as a co-sponsor. Representative Dusty Johnson introduced the House version. All three are Republicans.
“The Western Dakota Regional Water System is a promising proposal to address the rapidly growing water needs of the Black Hills region,” said Thune in a joint news release. “This legislation would advance the project by authorizing a Bureau of Reclamation study in order to determine the feasibility of the project, and I’m proud to join Rep. Johnson and Sen. Rounds in this critical effort.”
Cheryl Chapman is the executive director of the Western Dakota Regional Water System, a Rapid City-based nonprofit organized to advance the pipeline proposal. The nonprofit was founded after a 2019 study by researchers at South Dakota Mines showed the Rapid City area could run short of water during an extended drought.
“The idea is to bring an additional source of water to our area,” Chapman said.
The pipeline could bring water to Rapid City and the Black Hills and also to other places in western South Dakota. The nonprofit has a geographically diverse roster of members ranging from the city of Fort Pierre to the city of Newell.
Existing Missouri River pipelines, including the Mni Wiconi and Lewis and Clark projects, already bring water to some other parts of the state. Dams on the river control large reservoirs in multiple states, including South Dakota’s Lake Oahe, the nation’s fourth-largest reservoir.
The South Dakota Mines report estimated in 2019 that a western South Dakota pipeline would cost $2 billion. Chapman said federal funding is vital.
She said the federal feasibility study would assess the project’s viability, including its economic and environmental impacts, and is expected to guide future legislative and funding decisions.
“The feasibility study is kind of the first step of a two-step process to get congressional approval for a project like this, which in turn then puts us in line for federal funding,” she said.
If the House or Senate bill passes, the Bureau of Reclamation, an agency within the Department of the Interior, will conduct the feasibility study.