Sen. Thune Introduces Bill to Study Feasibility of Delivering Missouri River Water to West River Communities

(January 30, 2026) Sen. John Thune introduced a bill on Thursday to bring a proposed South Dakota water initiative closer to becoming a reality. Sen. Thune introduced the “Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act” on behalf of himself and fellow South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds. “This legislation is a critical step toward long term water reliability for western South Dakota,” said Kristin Conzet, Executive Director of the Western Dakota Regional Water System. “We appreciate the leadership of Senators Thune and Rounds in advancing federal authorization of a Bureau of Reclamation feasibility study, which moves this effort from concept to confirmation and ensures there is a practical path forward for addressing western South Dakota’s regional water challenges.”

The bill includes a $10 million appropriation for the Bureau of Reclamation, under the Secretary of the Interior, to conduct a feasibility study of the proposed rural water supply project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water from the Missouri River to western South Dakota.

A feasibility study conducted by the Bureau of Reclamation is required before federal approval can be granted for construction to begin.

The Western Dakota Regional Water System has spent several years completing preliminary feasibility work to intentionally position the project for federal review. These efforts include evaluating potential Missouri River and Lake Oahe intake locations, assessing interconnections with existing regional water infrastructure, and developing preliminary pipeline routing concepts. WDRWS was formed in late 2021, with initial technical and planning efforts beginning in 2022.

ABOUT WDRWS

Western Dakota Regional Water System (WDRWS) is a non-profit corporation, formed to address the need for water in western South Dakota. A South Dakota Mines study from 2019 and a 2025 U.S. Geological Survey study show a current shortage of water under drought conditions. Projected population growth and the ongoing threat of drought illustrate the need for the WDRWS to bring water to West River. The WDRWS is an alliance of forward-thinking community, governmental and water system leaders who believe that the future of western South Dakota will be fueled by access to abundant and quality water. Large and small public water systems, associate members, and individuals make up the membership of the WDRWS.