The City is hosting two separate public events at the City’s new Water Treatment Facility.
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13 at 821 W. Dakota Ave.; it will be followed by a facility tour. Then on Wednesday, June 21 the public will have another opportunity to tour the facility. Tours will start at 5 p.m. and run every 30 minutes until 7 p.m.
“This project was voted in by the public, and I want people to have a chance to see what their utility rates are paying for,” said Pierre Mayor Steve Harding. “I don’t think anyone will be disappointed!”
Following a community survey that showed Pierre citizens were interested in improved drinking water, the City of Pierre commissioned a study to provide options for a new water treatment process. The study recommended the City build a water treatment facility near the Missouri River highway bridge. In June 2018, the City Commission put the project to a public vote; it was approved by 73% of voters. In July 2020, the Commission approved the design for the $37.5 million project.
In December 2022, the facility started distributing potable water, and by mid-January 2023 the transition from ground water to treated Missouri River surface water was complete.
On average, the plant produced about 2.72 million gallons of water a day. However, the plant has additional capacity to serve Pierre well into the future. Maximum production capacity is 8.8 million gallons a day.