Water Resource Experts Planning Expansion for Growth

By Scout Nelson

South Dakota water experts are encouraging residents to value and protect the state's water resources as drought conditions and growing development continue to increase demand. Water planning is becoming more important as communities, agriculture, and industries depend on reliable supplies for future growth.

Julia Stelter from SDPB Radio highlighted a discussion where regional water leaders recently discussed future water challenges during a public conversation moderated by Downtown Sioux Falls Rotary member Steve Watson.

The discussion focused on how changing weather patterns, economic growth, and increasing demand could affect South Dakota's water resources for many years to come.

During the event, Watson pointed to concerns about the Colorado River, where the two largest reservoirs are now less than 30% full. He explained that water shortages in the American Southwest may increase interest in water resources from other states, including South Dakota.

“Ben Franklin once said 'when the well is dry, we know the worth of water,'” Watson quoted.

Much of eastern South Dakota receives water from the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River. Troy Larson, Executive Director of the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System, explained that the system does not remove water directly from the Missouri River.

Instead, it uses a network of wells near Vermillion that draw water from an aquifer naturally recharged by the river through rainfall and melting snow.

“Our source of water is a series of wells down by Vermillion that tap into an aquifer adjacent to the river," Larson said. "So, we do not pull water directly out of the river – that’s one of the misnomers of Lewis and Clark. We don’t have an intake; it’s a series of wells that pulls water from an aquifer that is recharged by the river.”

Scott Buss, Executive Director of the Minnehaha Community Water Corporation, explained that agriculture, industries, housing, and municipalities all compete for the same water resources. He noted that a business using 1 million gallons of water each day could require the same capacity needed to supply about 4,300 houses.

“We all love to see big industries come in because of the revenue and the sales tax and the jobs that they bring with them, but an industry that brings in a million gallons a day – or needs a million gallons a day of water capacity – that same amount could be used to serve 4,300 houses," Buss said.

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