Bill to bring water to Western South Dakota passes

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Senate Joint Resolution 501 passed in the House of Representatives on March 5. The bill was a highly discussed topic at Saturday’s Rapid City cracker barrel.

The bill, which was introduced by Senator Helene Duhamel, will allow a future use water permit application by the Western Dakota Regional Water System.

Duhamel said she was disappointed in the West River Republicans who voted against the bill when they were in favor of a similar permit on the eastern part of South Dakota during last year’s session.

“This year, we struggled with our own people in the House of Representatives,” Duhamel said. “To me, it’s maddening. Water is a resource, it’s an opportunity for our state, but it’s something we can’t hold onto. It is moving downstream. Other downstream states are looking at it, other thirsty states are looking at it. We want to secure that we have an opportunity to use our own water for the future.”

Representative Heather Baxter voted against the bill. She said she did, in part, because of the number of people who requested she vote no as they didn’t believe they would benefit from the bill.

“I listened to testimony of Representative Pourier,” Baxter said. “She also brings up that the Tribal lands were not asked and in codified law, I believe it’s Chapter 46 if I remember correctly, but they are important part to be brought to the table of conversation, and they were not.”

The resolution passed in the Senate with 31 yeas and four nays in January and in the House of Representatives with 43 yeas and 27 nays March 5.

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