Sioux Center has received more than 177 million gallons of water from the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System (LCRWS) in the first year since it was connected in April 2023.
“This is a game-changing water resource for Sioux Center,” said Utilities Manager Murray Hulstein. “We anticipated it 30 years ago when we committed to being a member of this water system, but we didn’t know how crucial this reliable source of high-quality water would be for us. We already rely on it today, and we will need it for Sioux Center to continue to grow.”
Prior to this, Sioux Center’s water was drawn only from wells in local aquifers, limited by the available water and mineral content of these aquifers. Today, that local water is blended with water from LCRWS. The regional water system draws water from a naturally-filtered aquifer near the Missouri River and treats it in a plant near Vermillion, S.D. The water travels more than 60 miles by pipe to Sioux Center.
LCRWS water is significantly softer than water from local wells and it continues to win taste-test awards. Blending this water with Sioux Center’s local water has decreased the hardness of water for Sioux Center homes and businesses approximately in half.
“People can dial back their water softeners to 25 grains of hardness, and they’ll save money on salt and water used by the softener,” said Sioux Center Water Department Head Harlan Kruid. “Ultimately turning down softeners also helps decrease the amount of sodium that ends up in our wastewater, too.”
Sioux Center currently has an allocation of up to 600,000 gallons per day from the regional water system. To increase the amount of water Sioux Center can receive, the community has joined the other 19 members of LCRWS in committing in an expansion of the water system, increasing it from an output of 45 million gallons per day to 60 million gallons per day. This involves adding more wells and making improvements at the treatment plant and high service pump station, as well as adding more storage and pump stations. Construction is underway on a ground storage reservoir between Sioux Center and Hull, just one part of the expansion. The expansion is expected to be completed in late 2030, which will provide Sioux Center with another 349,000 gallons/day for a new total of 949,000 gallons/day.