Project aimed at bringing Missouri River water to western South Dakota estimated at $4 billion
Rapid City Journal
Water pipeline to wester South Dakota could cost $4 billion
May 6, 2026
Frank Espinoza
An estimated $4 billion project aimed at bringing water from the Missouri River to Western South Dakota is being spearheaded by the nonprofit Western Dakota Regional Water System.
On Friday, April 25, Hay Camp Brewery hosted a panel discussion on the pipeline and water conservation in West River.
The panel included state Rep. Nicole Uhre-Balk, D-32, Rapid City Water Superintendent Eric Boyda, Senior Public Director for Elevate Rapid City Garth Wadsworth, Senior Project Manager with AE2S Jim Jones, Water Whys Irrigation and Landscape Design owner Molly McDowell and Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Rich Burgess.
The panel discussion started with information on the inception and goals of WDRWS. Jones said a 2019 study by researchers at the South Dakota School of Mines showed Rapid City could face water shortages during a prolonged drought period.
Jones said since the 1970s, Pennington County and the city have had future use permits for Missouri River water and given the results of the 2019 study, the municipalities should continue to pay for the permits as water conditions in Western South Dakota become questionable.
“During extreme drought conditions in western Pennington County, there is already additional or more use than what aquifer recharge and surface water can support,” Jones said on the study’s findings.
He continued saying that if a drought of five years or longer were to occur the area would need further water access.
“We have some concern. I wouldn’t say it’s a panic, but it is a concern that as populations increase, as more groundwater is tapped, there’s potential that during extreme drought conditions, even today, that we might not have the capacity available,” Jones said.
He said since 2021, WDRWS has been looking into the feasibility and funding of a pipeline of around 175 miles from Lake Oahe — which sits next to the Missouri River behind the Oahe Dam — to Rapid City.
Lake Oahe is the nation’s fourth-largest reservoir according to South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks.
Similar developments already exist within the Missouri River, including the Mni Wiconi and Lewis and Clark projects, which bring water into other parts of the state.
Jones stated the current stage of a WDRWS feasibility study suggests the project could cost $4 billion, up from the $2 billion previously reported in 2024 by South Dakota Searchlight. South Dakota Congressional delegation is working to bring $10 million to the state for the feasibility study.
Jones said the price tag may change after the feasibility study is completed.
Wadsworth said the additional costs may also come from the long construction timeline for such a development.
“You’ve got the physical factors, you’ve got the length of the pipeline and the size of the pipeline, but then the time it takes to actually build it is a huge factor … You get 10 years into a project, something happens. You run into roadblocks, you get delayed, and now you have to reinitiate, and it lands up costing more, not because the pipeline is more or the size of it is different, it’s just the time it takes,” Wadsworth said.
Funding for the pipeline
While the feasibility study continues, state officials are seeking funding to bring the project to life.
Uhre-Balk said she has been having conversations at the state level to secure funding for additional environmental and water projects.
She said the passing of Senate Bill 231 established a water infrastructure development fund to aid in projects like the pipeline. The fund will have $3 million transferred from the state’s general fund to the water infrastructure fund.
“That’s a hard number to swallow, and in fact, there’s no way that the state could do it at the state level. So, if the feds don’t approve it, then it’s, it’s a non-conversation, even with the state of South Dakota. So for me, it does feel like (it) just depends on what happens with the feds,” Uhre-Balk said.
Water conservation
Boyda said water conservation efforts by Rapid City are helping. In March Rapid City officials announced water restrictions, which started April 1. Also on April 1, the city elevated the storage condition status for Pactola Reservoir from “normal status” to “concern status.”
The restriction was due to current water levels and inflows at Pactola Reservoir. The reservoir level was at 47,532 acre feet, which is below the “concern status” threshold of 48,950 acre feet. The lower water level, coupled with the lack of snowpack remaining in the Pactola watershed areas, led to the restrictions.
These measures limit residents’ water usage from April through the end of September. No watering is allowed between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily. Odd-numbered addresses are allowed to water, outside those time restrictions, on odd-numbered calendar days. Even-numbered addresses are allowed to water on even-numbered calendar days. No outside watering is allowed on the 31st day of any month.
Manual watering with a handheld hose or with a bucket, sprinkling can or other similar container is allowed at all times.
This is the second consecutive summer Rapid City officials have instituted early water restrictions. Last summer, City officials implemented water conservation measures May 1, a month ahead of the annual water restriction period of June 1-Aug. 31.
Boyda previously told the Journal the Rapid City water portfolio is made up of a mix of surface and stored water at 83%, and groundwater making up just 13% of the water the city uses.
Since the 1990s, the City of Rapid City has instituted mandatory water conservation measures, generally implemented June 1-Aug. 31 each year under “normal status” conditions. Status conditions include normal, concern, alert and critical stages and are determined by the water levels and inflows to Pactola Reservoir.
The “concern status” designation means whenever Pactola Reservoir contains less than 48,950 acre feet of water or the inflow to Pactola Reservoir is less than 90% of the mean monthly average, conservation measures will be implemented earlier and continue through Sept. 30.
Under the “alert status” designation, water conservation measures shall apply throughout the entire year and under the “critical access” designation, no outside watering is permitted. The status designations are determined by water levels and inflows at Pactola Reservoir.
Boyda, at the panel discussion, presented slides of the national average gallons of water compared to the city’s usage.
“I just want to emphasize that right now people in Rapid City are using approximately the national median gallons per capita today,” Boyda said.
Wadsworth said water restrictions for bigger cities with water limitations are already being used, like Las Vegas, which he said continues to grow despite these similar concerns.
“It’s the quintessential desert, and they push water conservation reduction to its limit, and so it can conceivably reduce average households water consumption by 80%,” Wadsworth said. “Us drinking the water is not the problem. It’s everything around us … The restrictions do not apply (to) the guy out there with the hose. We can think of all kinds of green spaces, that is where the majority of the residential water use goes.”
“I would go ahead and add to that if we apply water to the landscapes as it’s needed, and not uneven distribution, uniformity and over watering some areas, underwatering some other areas … if we apply the water more evenly, there’s a bigger picture that we could conserve and save in the fertilizer applications needed, and all of those other costs of that maintenance that goes along with maintaining the landscape,” McDowell, the Water Whys Irrigation and Landscape Design owner, said about additional possible conservation efforts.
Contact Frank Espinoza at fespinoza@rapidcityjournal.com
