Thune, Johnson, Rounds Introduce Legislation to Advance Western Dakota Water Project

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, recently introduced bicameral versions of legislation that would authorize a feasibility study for the Western Dakota Regional Water System.

"The Western Dakota Regional Water System is a promising proposal to address the rapidly growing water needs of the Black Hills region," said Thune. "This legislation would advance the project by authorizing a Bureau of Reclamation study in order to determine the feasibility of the project, and I'm proud to join Rep. Johnson and Sen. Rounds in this critical effort."

"Water is essential," said Johnson. "Ensuring our Western South Dakota communities receive sufficient and clean water is necessary for healthy, growing communities. I am grateful for Senator Thune and Rounds' partnership on this issue and look forward to continuing to advance the Western Dakota Rural Water System project."

"Access to clean water in rural areas is critical for South Dakotans," said Rounds. "Authorizing a feasibility study for the Western Dakota Regional Water System gets us one step closer to delivering more water West River. I'm pleased to be joining Sen. Thune and Rep. Johnson in this effort."

"We applaud Senator Thune and Representative Johnson's introduction of a bill to authorize a Bureau of Reclamation feasibility study for Western South Dakota Regional Water," said Cheryl Chapman, executive director of WDRWS. "This authorization is the next crucial step to deliver abundant, quality water to all corners of western South Dakota."

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