TEA, S.D. (AP) -
Water has begun flowing through the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System.
Officials say a treatment plant near Vermillion, South Dakota began producing water on Monday for distribution to 11 of the 20 member cities and rural water systems. Board Chairman Red Arndt says it's a historic day that has been more than 22 years in the making.
The Lewis & Clark Regional Water System was incorporated in January 1990. The goal is to supply Missouri River water to about 300,000 people in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. The $462 million project isn't expected to be finished for several years, and federal funding for construction has become uncertain.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the treatment plant is scheduled for Aug. 21 -- the nine-year anniversary of the Lewis & Clark groundbreaking.