U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) joined U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) to offer a bicameral bill that would require the U.S. Department of the Interior to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water from the Missouri River to the Western Dakota Regional Water System.
“Water is essential,” said Rep. Johnson, who sponsored the Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act, H.R. 9834, in the House of Representatives. “Ensuring our Western South Dakota communities receive sufficient and clean water is necessary for healthy, growing communities.
“I am grateful for Sens. Thune and Rounds’ partnership on this issue and look forward to continuing to advance the Western Dakota Rural Water System project,” Rep. Johnson said.
If enacted, the bill would authorize $10 million to carry out the water project feasibility study, according to the bill’s text. Sen. Thune and Sen. Rounds on Sept. 25 sponsored and cosponsored, respectively, the same-named S. 5216 in the Senate.
“The Western Dakota Regional Water System is a promising proposal to address the rapidly growing water needs of the Black Hills region,” said Sen. Thune. “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.”
“Access to clean water in rural areas is critical for South Dakotans,” Sen. Rounds added. “Authorizing a feasibility study for the Western Dakota Regional Water System gets us one step closer to delivering more water to the West River. I’m pleased to be joining Sen. Thune and Rep. Johnson in this effort.”
The Western Dakota Regional Water System, which leads initiatives to address water challenges in western South Dakota, endorsed the bill.