Sioux Falls Gets Partial Levee Reimbursement for Big Sioux River Project

The City of Sioux Falls will get some, but not all of what was promised to build the levees.  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and City of Sioux Falls officials announced that the Corps will reimburse the City approximately $10 million for the work on the City’s levee system.

The levee project cost approximately $62 million. The federal share of the project is 75 percent, ($46.5 million) and the local share of 25 percent ($15.5 million) is split between the State of South Dakota and the City of Sioux Falls.

After more than ten years of work on the City of Sioux Falls levee system, improvements are now substantially complete. In 2009, after several years of little federal funding and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) announcement of upcoming changes to the city’s flood insurance rate maps, the City advanced funds to ensure the project was completed in a timely manner. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District now has received funds to reimburse the City for that advancement.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers now is working on the levee system evaluation report to send to FEMA to begin the process of updating the flood insurance rate maps for Sioux Falls.