BERESFORD, S.D. (KCAU) — A Siouxland community celebrated a multi-million dollar investment to bring them better drinking water.

With $75.5 million coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, it is estimated the system will be able to expand access to clean drinking water for an estimated 350,000 people across the tri-state bringing them one step closer to completing their goal. 

Currently, the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System, a rural service provider, ensures that 20 cities from southeast South Dakota, northwest Iowa, and southwest Minnesota have water. Many Siouxland towns rely on this system daily.

Troy Larson from the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System said the addition of this Beresford water tower will provide water to four more cities.

“We feel optimistic that we’ll be able to get water to Sioux Center and Hull by the end of this year and then eventually to Sheldon. It will also provide service at times to Beresford,” said Larson.

Tanya Trujillo with the Department of the Interior said with the new tower, communities will receive their water faster. 

“These communities have been supporting this project for decades. They’ve been requesting  funding for decades. The bipartisan infrastructure allows us to move this project forward. allows us to get it completed so the communities in Iowa that we heard about and the communities here in this area that we heard about can have that reliable source of water,” said Trujillo.

Dani Fettig with the Bureau of Reclamation said that while the $75.5 million isn’t enough to finish the project, it does gets the organization one step closer to reaching a goal.

“Reclamation has a plan to complete all the rural water systems that are currently authorized in our region. which includes a couple in Montana and some in North Dakota in the next 5 years. and so by the year 2026 we plan to have all the construction funding to the entities that need it,” said Fettig.

According to the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System, the project is 93% complete and is operational in 15 of the 20 cities it serves.