Environmental
Funding

State Water Plan

The South Dakota Legislature established the State Water Plan in 1972. The State Water Plan is intended to implement state policy on water resources management, to serve as the principal guide for state policies and priorities, and to identify areas for project assistance. Placement on the State Water Plan provides no guarantee of funding.

The State Water Plan consists of two components - the State Water Facilities Plan and the State Water Resources Management System. Projects that will require state funding assistance or state assistance to acquire federal funding assistance or authorization must be on the State Water Plan.

State Water Facilities Plan
The State Water Facilities Plan is a listing of potential water projects. The facilities plan includes projects such as rural, municipal, and industrial water supply; wastewater facilities; storm sewers; water conservation; watershed management and restoration; solid waste management; ground water contamination; pollution prevention or remediation; and dam safety. View the projects currently on the list.

The Board of Water and Natural Resources is responsible for approving the placement of projects onto the State Water Facilities Plan. Infrastructure projects requesting facilities plan designation must have completed preliminary engineering studies and should be ready for construction within two years. Watershed projects requesting facilities plan designation must have completed watershed assessments and should be ready for implementation within two years. Once a project is placed onto the State Water Facilities Plan, it remains on the plan for two years. If a project will be requesting funds after this two year period, it must submit a new facilities plan application.

Application Deadline
Projects requesting placement onto the State Water Facilities Plan must complete the State Water Plan application and applications must be postmarked or received at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on or before the first day of October. If a project is located within the boundaries of a water development district, a copy of the application must be submitted to the water development district. The board will make decisions regarding all applications during its November meeting.

Realizing that projects may develop during the year, the board will consider applications for amendment onto the State Water Facilities Plan on a quarterly basis. Applications for amendment onto the plan must be postmarked or received by the department on or before the first day of February, May, and August. A copy of the application must be submitted to the appropriate water development district.

In the event of an emergency when a project sponsor cannot wait for the normal application period or for the quarterly amendment process, it may submit an emergency amendment application for the board's consideration at any meeting if it meets one of the following conditions:

  1. The proposed project is necessary due to: an act of God; strike, lockout, or other labor disturbance; act of a public enemy; order or restraint of any kind of the government of the United States of America or of the State of South Dakota or any of its departments, agencies, or officials or any civil or military authority other than the applicant or a municipal utility board; storm; drought; flood; explosion; breakage or accident to machinery, transmission pipes, or canals; or any other cause or event not reasonably within the control of the applicant; or
  2. The proposed project is necessary to take advantage of an unexpected economic development opportunity in the project area and the opportunity will be lost unless action is taken.

Projects placed on the State Water Facilities Plan through the amendment process remain on the plan for the balance of the current calendar year and the following year.

Eligibility
The board and the water development districts use the following eligibility criteria as guidelines to determine project merit for inclusion onto the State Water Facilities Plan:

  1. Health and safety projects which correct serious health hazards.
  2. Economic development projects which encourage and strengthen the economy of the state.
  3. Consolidation of existing facilities or regionalization of projects which stabilize or improve the economy of the state and the quality of life through sound fiscal, land, and water management.
  4. Expansion of existing systems which provide an increase in services and promote the objectives contained in criteria 1 through 3 above.
  5. Local support for the project which would include a proposed level of local project funding and the use of in-kind services in the proposed project.
  6. Long term planning which would enable a local project to provide for future maintenance, replacement, or expansion of the proposed project.

Rehabilitation of existing systems should only be considered as meeting the eligibility criteria if the project addresses the following criteria:

  1. Provides a commitment of local funds for the maintenance and repair of the system for its expected life including amortization costs.
  2. Provides an annual maintenance and repair schedule to ensure maintenance and repair of the system.

Drinking Water Project Self-Assessment
Drinking Water projects must complete the "Drinking Water Project Eligibility and Priority List Self-Assessment" questionnaire in the State Water Plan application. The questionnaire will be used to determine eligibility and priority points for the Drinking Water SRF program. This must be completed for all drinking water projects regardless of the funding proposed in the State Water Plan Application.

Please include supporting documentation in the engineering report if a "yes" response is given for questions regarding violations of drinking water standards (items 1, 4, or 5 in the priority point section).

Approval Dates
Department staff from the Division of Financial and Technical Assistance will review all applications. The water development districts will review all projects in their district based on the eligibility criteria. The districts may submit to the department a recommendation for placement of a project onto the State Water Facilities Plan. The department then submits the applications along with the water development district and department recommendations to the board at its November meeting. The board reviews the applications and approves projects for placement onto the State Water Facilities Plan contingent on the sponsors meeting with department staff.

Amendment applications are presented to the board at its March, June, and September meetings. Emergency applications are presented to the board at its first meeting following submittal of the application.

State Water Resources Management System
The State Water Resources Management System identifies large, costly water projects that are seeking significant state cost share participation. Additionally, the projects require significant federal financing and may require federal authorization. These projects normally require several years to be completed.

Projects are placed onto the State Water Resources Management System by the Legislature and the Governor based on recommendations made by the board. Projects that have been placed on the State Water Resources Management System remain on the list until removed by the Legislature. To view the list of projects currently on the SWRMS, click here.

Application Deadline
Projects requesting placement onto the State Water Resources Management System must complete the State Water Plan application and applications must be postmarked or received at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on or before the first day of June.

Project sponsors should contact the Water and Waste Funding Program for further guidance on getting a project placed onto the State Water Resources Management System.

Eligibility
Projects seeking inclusion onto the State Water Resources Management System must meet one of the following criteria:

  1. The project is necessary for the needs and general welfare of the people of South Dakota; or
  2. The project preserves a free flowing stream or river possessing unique natural beauty, or outdoor recreational values of present and future benefit to the people of the state.

Approval Dates
The board will review all applications and projects currently on the list during its November meeting. The board will make recommendations regarding the placement of new projects and the retention or deletion of previously listed State Water Resources Management System projects. The board's recommendations are submitted to the Governor and Legislature at the beginning of the Legislative session in January.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Division of Financial and Technical Assistance
Joe Foss Building
523 East Capitol
Pierre, South Dakota 57501

Phone: (605) 773-4216
Fax: (605) 773-4068
Email: Tina McFarling