After nearly 34 years, water from the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System started flowing to Sheldon Tuesday (today), and a ribbon cutting celebration is planned for this spring.
Sheldon Mayor Greg Geels remarked, said that in his first term as a councilman for the city of Sheldon, in early 2012, the city received word that a bill which contained $30 million of funding for rural water projects had been approved by Congress. This was terrific news since several years prior the council paid 100% of their cost share but delayed federal funds had put the project far behind schedule. Geels remembers hoping at the time that he would have the satisfaction of seeing Sheldon being connected while serving on the council. It’s been nearly twelve years since then, and Geels has seen the “pipe dream” become a reality. He is thankful to the first city council that made the bold decision to join the organization, as well as the numerous local, state, and federal legislators that have put a tremendous amount of effort to make this a reality for Sheldon. Geels says it will not only improve quality of life but will enhance the economic development of Sheldon for many years.
Sheldon is the 18th of Lewis & Clark’s 20 member cities and rural water systems to be connected and has 1.3 million gallons a day of reserved capacity from Lewis & Clark. It is anticipated that Madison, SD will be connected by mid-2024 and Sibley, IA in the spring/summer of 2025.
Lewis & Clark Chairman, and Sioux Center Utility Director, Murray Hulstein says “congratulations to our good friends and neighbors in Sheldon on finally being connected to the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System! All good things are worth the wait and that is certainly true of the water that is now flowing to Sheldon.” Sioux Center was connected in April 2023 and Hulstein says it is a huge asset and blessing for the community, and it will be the same for Sheldon.
