New water main agreement between SDEDA and Rapid City

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - An agreement between Rapid City and the South Dakota Ellsworth Development Authority will begin its first phase soon to build a new water system that will provide clean water to homes on a section of Country Rd. and Box Elder.

The new water main is needed due to the chemicals used in the firefighting foam on the Air Force base since the 1970s, polluting some of the surrounding wells and putting people living in the area in danger. The Air Force has since phased out the chemicals, but the lingering effects of what are said to be forever chemicals found in the foam are still in the area.

This is where the agreement passed Monday at Rapid City’s council meeting comes into play. It allows the construction of a water main by SDEDA that will connect Rapid City’s water system to Box Elder’s. The hope is that this new water main will provide properties affected by the excess concentration of PFOS and PFOA just south of Ellsworth Air Force Base.

The city says the 37 properties specified in the plans will receive free water for domestic use for about 20 years, or until the property is transferred to a new owner.

“There are limits, though this isn’t unlimited water for them; it’s only for domestic use and some small agricultural use if they have, let’s say, some livestock that they’re watering, but it’s not for irrigation of crops,” explained Rapid City’s Public Works director Dale Tech.

This project’s estimated value that SDEDA will be building is around $12 million, with $3 million for Rapid City’s section and around $9 million for Box Elder’s section of the project. The US Air Force will provide the money for the project.

Rapid City’s Public Works assistant director, Stacey Titus, added that this project would benefit all parties involved, starting with the city by saying it would make the water system in that area more efficient, for Box Elder, it would help add another way for them to get water from Rapid City.

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