Harrisburg to consider contract to provide sewer service for new prison

Opponents of prison rally ahead of Tuesday vote

Photo by Damiano Fiore on Unsplash

The Harrisburg City Council will consider a proposal to provide sewer service to a new men’s prison in rural Lincoln County in a deal that would wipe out some of the city’s debt and lower sewer bills for its customers.

But the contract also puts the city in the middle of a contentious debate about whether a $1 billion men’s prison should be built between Harrisburg and Canton. Residents in the area oppose the concept of replacing the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls with a new prison that would house up to 1,500 inmates, arguing the facility is too far from critical services and would mar the fastest-growing county in the state.

Harrisburg Mayor Derick Wenck said the city is not taking sides in the issue.

“We’re not saying the city wants the prison built,” he told The Dakota Scout. “We’re saying that if it is built, we would rather for them to attach to our sewer system than to build sewer lagoons.”

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