City approves resolution for Lewis & Clark Regional Water System expansion commitment

The Madison City Commission has approved a resolution for an expansion commitment agreement with the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System.  Commissioners on Monday heard from Ryan Hegg with the City Engineer’s Office, who serves on the Board of Directors for the water system.  As a member of the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System, the city commission approved the resolution authorizing the water system to plan for and construct an additional 15.81 million gallons a day overall for the project.  

Hegg told commissioners that this is in addition to the current capacity the project was planning to deliver to its 20 member cities and rural water systems.  

The City of Madison is one of five members of the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System who isn’t receiving water yet through the project, and the only one in South Dakota.  

Troy Larson, Executive Director for the project, told commissioners that the project will be receiving more funding through the recently passed Infrastructure bill.  He said this is pushing the timeline forward for when they can get started on the expansion.

Larson said the city already has a payment for design costs on the project due in January of 2022.  He said that because there will be additional projects with the expansion, there will be more design costs, and those will be due in the next year or two depending on what the system’s Board of Directors decides.  Larson said that the Lewis & Clark project is also applying for funds through the American Rescue Plan Act to help off-set some of the costs of the expansion.

Larson said the Infrastructure bill has changed the timeline also for when the city of Madison may receive water through the pipeline.

Larson said that it’s likely that the construction on the pipe needed for the project would take place in 2023 and 2024.