Workers from DN Tanks install piping earlier this year for a million-gallon ground storage reservoir east of the Madison Water Treatment Plant for the city’s planned integration into the Lewis & Clark Rural Water System.

In a recent interview, Larson commented that the southern section of pipe, which starts at Crooks and heads north, is substantially complete, meaning it’s been disinfected and is ready for use “whenever we turn the valve on.” This section was constructed by Lake Norden’s Halme Construction.

The northern section, which heads south from an area near the intersection of South Dakota Highway 34 and CR-459, has been fully installed and is currently involved in the disinfection process. This section was constructed by Dell Rapids’ Carstensen Contracting, who Larson noted is taking a break until January to complete this process.

“We expect by January that entire 32 miles will be ready to rock and roll,” Larson said.

As for the ground storage reservoir, which DN Tanks from Wakefield, Massachusetts will construct, and will sit east of Madison’s Water Sanitation Plant, Larson noted that the contractor has demobilized for the winter, though progress on the project was significant throughout 2023. He added that they plan to return in either February or March, depending on the weather.

“Their substantial completion deadline is August of next year, but they fully expect to be done before that,” Larson remarked. “When they are done is when Madison is going to get water.”

Along with these three items, L&C installed three additional pumps at the Crooks pump station, ensuring water will flow smoothly throughout the area. Larson noted that these became operational on Dec. 5.

Despite its operational status, Larson explained that the Crooks pump station hasn’t technically reached substantial completion, as they are still awaiting the arrival of a backup generator, which was delayed due to issues in the supply chain.

Madison — along with 19 other member cities across South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota — joined L&C more than 30 years ago, with the city reserving one million gallons per day (GPD) at a cost of nearly $2 million. Madison will be the second to last member city to be fully connected; as Sibley, Iowa isn’t set to be integrated until mid-2025.

Once completed, the L&C system will deliver 44.19 million GPD to its 20 members from an aquifer adjacent to the Missouri River, which is pumped to a treatment plant near Vermillion.

Part of the reason Madison’s integration has taken so long is L&C’s reliance on federal funding for 80% of the project’s costs, with the other 20% being evenly divided between the member cities and states they inhabit.

There have been moments throughout the years where federal funding has trickled rather than flowed, yet Larson emphasized that the last three years have seen a surge in available dollars. He noted that the main reason behind this is the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which went into effect in November 2021.

This funding has helped L&C make their final push to their 44.19 million GPD goal, which L&C refers to as their “base system.” L&C is already in the process of an expansion that will bring the total amount of water being spread throughout their system to 60 million GPD. This is slated to be completed by 2031.

Larson stated that other than the integrations of Madison and Sibley, the main work remaining for the completion of the “base system” are improvements to the L&C treatment plant near Vermillion.

He clarified that this is not an expansion; instead, it’s simply adding more of what the facility already has. This will include a second solids contact basin, a second gravity thickener as well as additional filters. Larson added that this would ensure that L&C can efficiently deliver the entirety of their 44.19 million GPD capacity.

These improvements will total around $66 million, yet Larson noted that L&C has already acquired all but $12 million in federal funding to cover this cost. He added that L&C plans to bid out this project next summer, with the estimated completion date being 2027.

Despite this, all members will be receiving L&C water as soon as Madison and Sibley are integrated.

In 2022, L&C delivered a record-breaking 7.7 billion gallons of water across its members. Larson commented that in 2023, they have already delivered over 7.8 billion gallons just from January to November.

The specific water needs L&C delivers varies among its members.

Larson explained that for areas like Lennox, Parker and Beresford, the introduction of L&C water has meant a massive uptick in quality. For areas like Madison, the need is more about quantity.

Larson noted that once Madison begins receiving its L&C supply, residents won’t notice much of a difference in quality, as the water they’ve received through a wheeling plan with the Big Sioux Community Water Corporation and the Minnehaha Community Water System since 2017 utilizes a similar formula to L&C.

As for the potential of increased water rates, Larson commented that this will also vary from member to member. He added that due to L&C’s reliance on federal, state and local grants, they’re able to operate as a debt-free organization, allowing them to offer more competitive rates to their customers.

The Madison Daily Leader attempted to reach out to the superintendent of the Madison Water Distribution and Wastewater Collection Department for comment on the city’s rates yet were unable to reach them.

As Madison’s full integration date draws closer and L&C’s planned expansion gains momentum, additional information will be forthcoming.