SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — The Lewis & Clark Regional Water System Project received more than $75 million for a project that will benefit Siouxland areas.  

According to a release from the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) has invested $75.5 million in the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System Project. The organizations will be holding a celebration Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Beresford Water Tower in Beresford, South Dakota.  

The Department of the Interior’s Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo, Reclamation’s Missouri Basin and Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas Gulf Regional Director Brent Esplin, and Lewis & Clark Regional Water System Executive Director Troy Larson will be in attendance during the celebration.

According to the release, BIL funds will be going to Hull, Madison, Sheldon, Sibley, and Sioux Center.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the $75.5 million of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds being invested in this project with our partners at Lewis & Clark,” said Esplin, “We have a unique ability to find projects like Lewis & Clark through the once in a generation investment which will eventually benefit an estimated 350,000 people in the tri-state area.”  

The release indicated that the project is almost complete at 86% and the funding for the construction of the project was provided by federal, state, and local grants. The additional $75.5 million will help to complete the remaining 32 miles of pipeline for the Madison service line, 17 miles of pipeline in Sheldon, meter buildings, a pump station, and a new storage reservoir.  

The release specified that Lewis & Clark is a wholesale provider of water to 20 member cities and rural water systems across 5,000 square miles from South Dakota, to Iowa, and to Minnesota. The system currently provides services for communities including some in Siouxland.  

“Lewis & Clark is critical to the quality of life and economic development in our region,” said Larson, “The collaboration on this project with our many local, state, and federal partners is a prime example of what joint cooperation can achieve.”  

The release stated the completed system will run treated water through 337 miles of pipeline and will include a series of wells, meter buildings, pump stations, and storage facilities. The system will have a capacity of 45 million gallons per day with the ability to expand to 60.