Thomas Daschle: “the need for water development throughout South Dakota is great. As we prepare to enter the 21st century, all South…”

“the need for water development throughout South Dakota is great. As we prepare to enter the 21st century, all South Dakotans should be able to consider a high quality water supply to be a basic human right, and we should do whatever we can to meet this goal. While considerable progress has been made in providing clean and safe drinking water to residents of my State, much work remains to be done. Fall River County and Perkins County are examples of areas that urgently need to develop new sources of potable water. That is why I am introducing bills today to authorize the construction of the Fall River Water Users District Rural Water System and the Perkins County Rural Water System. The communities that would be served by both systems are comprised of farmers and ranchers who for too long have had to endure substandard, and at times remote, sources of drinking water. The drinking water available in Fall River County, SD, like the water in much of the rest of the State, is contaminated with high levels of nitrates, sulfates, and dissolved solids.”