CUP sought for new joint-venture water treatment plant

County Commissioners and the Moody County Board of Adjustment will continue to learn more this next week about a new water treatment plant proposed for an area just west of Trent.
Big Sioux Rural Water is requesting, in a new partnership with Minnehaha Community Water Corporation, a conditional use permit to construct the new facility two miles west of town.
The first hearing with public input was held in late December. The second hearing is scheduled for January 16th at the Courthouse.
Discussions, due to ongoing drought conditions over the past couple of years, along with more development and record levels of demand, have had the two entities working more closely together to ensure adequate water delivery to both regions.
The application for the new joint venture was formally filed on December 1st of this past year.
Big Sioux currently gets some water from Minnehaha Community Water by purchasing it from them to meet demand during peak times, Joe Munson with Banner Associates told the Board.
So these two systems have worked together for a long time, collaborating to get water into the area and serve both Moody and Minnehaha counties. This new partnership is nothing new, theyve been working together for quite awhile.
If approved, which is what new Zoning Administrator Alicia DeSchepper is recommending, construction would begin later this year. The plant itself, according to engineers, would most likely not be complete or operational for another 2-3 years.
More on the need for more water and on the timeline for the plant itself in next weeks issue of the Moody County Enterprise.