Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg visited Sioux Center’s water treatment plant to announce $12 million in funding for the expansion of the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System.
“As residents of northwest Iowa will be first to say, dependable, sustainable drinking water is a cornerstone of economic development and prosperity,” Reynolds said. “The Lewis and Clark system expansion promises to deliver the reliable water that northwest Iowans need to attract new development and strengthen their communities.”
This is doubly true, she said, in rural areas like northwest Iowa that depend on water-intensive agriculture industries.
The Lewis & Clark Regional Water System is a tri-state drinking water system estimated to ultimately serve 350,000 people in its 20 member communities in Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota. Currently the system is able to provide 45 million gallons per day. The $100 million expansion will be built over the next 8-10 years and increase that to 60 million gallons per day.
Sioux Center will begin receiving high-quality Lewis & Clark water in 2023, with work to connect the community nearing completion, including building a meter building at the Sioux Center water plant. Sioux Center’s allotment will be 600,000 gallons per day. When the expansion is made, that allotment will increase to 949,000 gallons per day. This $12 million in state funding announced Friday will help offset Sioux Center’s cost as part of that expansion. The expansion helps secure additional water for Sioux Center’s future.
“Lewis & Clark is a legacy-type project that will impact future generations,” said Sioux Center Utilities Manager Murray Hulstein. “This is our source of water for growth. Any other new sources would be far more expensive.”
The impact of this $12 million reaches the ultimate owners of the system and users of the water, according to Lewis & Clark Executive Director Troy Larson.
“This directly benefits the homes and businesses purchasing Lewis & Clark water,” he said.