H.R. 9785: South Dakota Water Feasibility Studies Act

This bill would direct the Secretary of the Interior to study whether three proposed water-supply projects are practical to build. The studies are aimed at helping provide municipal, rural, and industrial water in parts of the Missouri River basin.

What projects would be studied

• Western South Dakota Water Supply Project: A project to move Missouri River water to the Western Dakota Regional Water System.
• Lewis and Clark Regional Water System expansion: A project to expand that system’s capacity and service area in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota.
• Dakota Mainstem Water Supply Project: A project to supply water to the Dakota Mainstem Regional Water System service area in South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota.

What the Interior Department would have to do

• Work with the relevant nonfederal project entities on each study.
• Consult with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local authorities during the studies.
• Prepare a feasibility report for each project.
• In each report, recommend whether the project should be authorized for construction.
• In each report, recommend how construction costs should be split, with the nonfederal share set at at least 25% and based on an analysis of the project’s ability to pay construction, operations, maintenance, and replacement costs.
• Submit the reports to the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
• Make the reports and related study documents public.

Funding and cost sharing

• The bill authorizes up to $10 million for each of the three studies.
• The federal government’s share of the study costs for each project could not exceed 50%.
• The Secretary would have to enter into a cost-sharing agreement, or another approved financial assistance agreement, with the nonfederal entity for each study.

How long the authority lasts

The authority to carry out each of these study programs would expire 10 years after enactment.

Relevant Companies

None found