South Dakota
| Program Category | # of Grants per state | Sum of EDA $ |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Adjustment Assistance | 1 | $686,586 |
| Planning | 11 | $647,000 |
| Public Works | 1 | $969,000 |
| Technical Assistance | 1 | $145,000 |
| Grand Total | 14 | $2,447,586 |
Lake Norden is a small, rural town in northeastern South Dakota that is largely dependent on its manufacturing industry. Its main employer, a cheese manufacturer, consumes about 85 percent of the town’s water on a monthly basis. When this company wanted to make its largest capital improvement project in its history, it approached the city for needed water quality and quantity improvements at the local water treatment plant. These improvements will greatly enhance the quality of water in Lake Norden, eliminating the high concentrations of iron and manganese and making the water treatment plant more efficient.
In FY 2018, EDA awarded $969,000 in Public Works funds to the City of Lake Norden for the development of a new wellfield, piping from the wellfield to the water treatment facility, and additional improvements to the water treatment facility. The cheese manufacturing company has committed to investing more than $220 million and creating 125 jobs for the region. The new employees will be recruited from the 11 surrounding South Dakota communities from which its current workforce is also generated. The company’s products will be distributed throughout all 50 states and exported around the globe.