From Hecla to Sioux Falls, South Dakota communities tap into $55M for water, sewer utility upgrades
South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources also marks $250,000 for internal environmental work by state agency
A South Dakota town of fewer than 200 residents and the state’s largest population center are getting some help with keeping toilets flushing in their communities.
The nearly $55 million in low-interest loans and grants that the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) awarded last week also includes a quarter-million dollars marked for internal use by the state agency.
Here’s a look at how Sioux Falls, Hecla, a pair of regional water providers and the state will use the money and where it came from.
Hecla
The Brown County community received a $2,500,000 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program loan with $2,000,000 in principal forgiveness to improve its sanitary sewer collection system. The project calls for replacing or repairing 1,250 feet of sewer line and an existing lift station. The loan terms are 4 percent for 30 years.
The State of South Dakota and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fund the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program, which provides low-interest loans for wastewater, stormwater, water conservation, nonpoint source projects and public drinking water system projects. A combination of federal appropriations, loan repayments and bonds sustains the program, according to DANR.
Shared Resources
A partnership between Minnehaha Community Water Corp. and the Big Sioux Community Water System, the organizations were awarded an additional $206,749 in ARPA grant funds for a jointly operated water treatment plant, well field, distribution pipeline and two storage tanks. Shared Resources had already been awarded about $51 million for those planned upgrades.
Sioux Falls
The city of Sioux Falls got the biggest chunk of the awards approved by DANR’s Board of Water and Natural Resources on Thursday, receiving a $51,900,000 Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program loan to replace and upgrade aging wastewater treatment infrastructure at the Water Reclamation Facility.
The project includes new clarifiers, sludge pumping and splitter box systems that will increase capacity and reliability at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The loan terms are 3.75 percent for 20 years.
DANR
A Solid Waste Management Program grant of $250,000 awarded by the board to DANR will be used to support the cleanup and disposal of PFAS fire suppression products, waste tires, hazardous chemicals and other solid waste.
The Solid Waste Management Program provides loans and grants for solid waste disposal, recycling and waste tire projects. The Legislature annually appropriates dedicated funding for the program through the omnibus water funding bill.
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