Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act

The Western South Dakota Water Supply Project Feasibility Study Act (S. 3723) was introduced in the Senate on January 29, 2026, and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings were held by the Subcommittee on Water and Power on March 17, 2026. The bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study for a project to supply municipal, rural, and industrial water from the Missouri River to the Western Dakota Regional Water System. This bill is currently in the committee stage, with hearings having been held. It is a study-mandating bill, meaning it authorizes a study but does not appropriate any funds for construction or directly award contracts. The bill specifies that the feasibility report will include a recommendation on whether the project should be authorized for construction and the appropriate non-Federal share of construction costs, which must be at least 25 percent. Therefore, no immediate money trail exists for specific companies. Given its current status as a feasibility study bill, there are no direct structural winners or losers among publicly traded companies. Companies involved in water infrastructure planning, engineering, and construction could potentially benefit if the study recommends construction and subsequent authorization and appropriation occur. However, this is a multi-year process, and no specific companies are identified or positioned for contracts at this early stage. The bill has a companion bill, HR7288, which increases the likelihood of legislative progress for the study itself. Legislative steps remaining include committee markup, potential floor votes in both chambers, and presidential assent. The timeline for completion of the study and any subsequent project authorization and appropriation would extend several years into the future.