The city of Sioux Falls is expanding its Water Reclamation Plant.
The $215 million project will be the largest in the city’s Public Works history, officials said.
Mark Cotter, the director of public works, said the nature of the treatment plant makes this expansion tricky.
“These projects are a little bit more complex because you have to keep the plant running while you do the rehabilitation and expansion,” he said.
In order for improvements to be made in one facility, those responsibilities must be transferred somewhere else so water treatment doesn’t stop.
Cotter said a large part of the project is fixing up the existing buildings, which have been in use for almost 40 years. The wastewater is transferred from the plant to the Big Sioux River, so it is important to have the facilities in good condition.
“We’re about a year into it, and by about the later stages of 2025, we’ll be wrapped up. The result will be that we’ve expanded the plant from 21 million gallons a day of treatment capacity up to 30.”
Under the new expansion, the city of Tea will also be included among the other regional areas treated by the Sioux Falls plant.