WATER RATES
Recommend 14% Increase for Residential Customers

The Water Purification Division has the responsibility of providing high quality drinking water to the citizens of Sioux Falls and surrounding area. The water produced at our facility meets or exceeds state and federal drinking water regulations. The division strives to deliver water at quantities sufficient to meet the demands of the community in the most effective and efficient manner possible. We oversee source water, treatment, maintenance, laboratory monitoring, as well as storage and pumping. In 2009 the division treated and pumped a total of 7.213 billion gallons of water or about 19.761 million gallons per day. With a population of 156,500 this equates to 126.26 gallons of water per day per person.

WHY ARE WE RAISING RATES?

Additional revenue is needed to account for the increases in fixed and variable costs (chemicals, electricity, and personnel) and capital investments for our great community.

A long range plan is in place to design and construct capital projects that rehabilitate, replace and/or expand the well field, treatment plant, and the distribution system. This increase will provide revenue for future capital projects and create a rate stabilization fund to reduce the need to borrow money for essential capital projects. Sioux Falls is also a member of the Lewis and Clark Regional Water System (LCRWS). This is an investment of over $64 million for the City’s share of the system to ensure a long-term supplemental water supply.