Minnehaha County communities poised for growth with regional wastewater plant

Sen. John Thune secures $23.6M funding for facility to treat residential, industrial waste

Photo by Scott Rodgerson on Unsplash

They are not the shiniest of new projects, but on the hierarchy of needs, wastewater treatment facilities rank higher than stadiums, swimming pools and puppet shows.

Several smaller Sioux Falls-area cities got a major boost to their future growth plans this month with Congressional approval of a budget package that includes $23.6 million for a wastewater conveyance system for the Minnehaha County communities. The money was requested by Sen. John Thune’s office.

Thune teamed up with Sen. Mike Rounds to secure money for several major projects in South Dakota, including funding to support housing projects for the expansion at Ellsworth Air Force Base, workforce training, highway projects and the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System.

Thune last year met with Sioux Metro Growth Alliance officials and then took a bus tour of the area.

“After the meeting and bus ride, he realized this is an important deal, because we can’t afford to do it as individual communities,” said Butch Oseby, the mayor of Crooks.