Water for the Next 100 Years Rep. Will Mortenson

I often tell my kids: if you don’t get started, you’ll never get finished. That is certainly true when it comes to water infrastructure for
the next 100 years in our state.

The Missouri River defines my hometown and our state. It provides recreation and beauty. More importantly, it provides life-sustaining water across the state through water lines built by our parents and grandparents after the dams were built here.

When the Missouri River dams were constructed under the Pick Sloan Act, South Dakota sacrificed. Fertile farmland, much of which on our reservations, was flooded. Families and entire communities relocated. Our home ranch lost over 1,000 acres. Those dams delivered power and navigation benefits far beyond our borders. South Dakota gave much so the nation could benefit.

We should not hesitate to ensure our state benefits as well. If we do not assert our rights alongside the Tribes, others will. Partnership with Tribes is not optional or ideal – it is essential. The water systems serving Rosebud and Pine Ridge are increasingly unreliable and in need of investment. The tribes know what folks across western South Dakota know – the time is right for a full-scale partnership and to take the effort of establishing a West River Regional Water System seriously. That
is what Western Dakota Regional Water is doing.

Many have forgotten that our parents and grandparents built the state we now enjoy. They looked to a future – not only their own, but our future – and built infrastructure and industry. They knew it might be costly during their lifetime, but it would provide for all of us in the future. Now, it is our turn to think about future generations. Nothing is more foundational to a thriving society than water, and no infrastructure project right now is more important than these major water lines. Let’s get started.