Sheldon, Iowa — There’s still no firm date on when Sheldon’s water system will be connected with the Lewis & Clark water from the Missouri River aquifer.
But Sheldon Public Works Director Todd Uhl says his team is excited for that moment.
Uhl tells us what they plan to do when the hookup happens.
Uhl says that when the new water is connected, people who use Sheldon water will need to change their softener settings to take advantage of the benefits of the better water. He tells us city personnel can help with that, you can contact your softener rental company if you have one, or if you’re comfortable with making the change, you can do it yourself if you own your softener.
He says the Lewis & Clark hookup is also a big deal from an economic development standpoint.
Uhl tells us that as of Monday afternoon, the pipeline contractor still had some items to finish up prior to connection. We talked with Lewis & Clark Executive Director Troy Larson about the project last month, and at that point, he told us there has to be water in the line in order to finish everything.
When we talked to him, we also asked him what the plans are concerning the Sibley connection.
Contractors are also working on getting the pipeline to Madison, South Dakota. It’s a project nearly a generation in the making. The talk about the need for such a system started in the late 1980s. It was incorporated in 1990 and authorized by Congress in 2000. Groundbreaking for the system was held in 2003, and the system is hoped to be completed in 2025. Upgrades to get even more water to the member systems are already underway.
