Planning ahead for water projects: SD lawmaker wins endorsement for special fund

Big Bend Dam on the Missouri River in South Dakota. (Courtesy Army Corps of Engineers)
Big Bend Dam on the Missouri River in South Dakota. (Courtesy Army Corps of Engineers)

At the urging of a Rapid City lawmaker who said big water projects need special attention, a South Dakota legislative committee unanimously supported a bill Feb. 20 at the Capitol in Pierre that would create a water infrastructure development fund.

The fund would hold state and federal grants for rural water projects, accruing interest over time. Lawmakers would appropriate money from the fund for …