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Box Elder updates council on PFAS clean-water line; completion expected Nov. 2025
Summary
Public Works Director Bruce Martin told the Box Elder City Council the regional clean-water line to address PFAS in private wells is under construction, with Rapid City supplying free water to affected properties for 20 years and Box Elder to operate and maintain infrastructure in its service area; completion is expected by Nov. 2025.
Box Elder officials on Feb. 4 updated the City Council on construction of a regional clean-water line designed to deliver PFAS-free water to properties near Ellsworth Air Force Base.
"This project is expected to be completed by November 2025," Bruce Martin, Box Elder public works director, told the council, describing intergovernmental agreements that will link Rapid City, Box Elder and Ellsworth to provide and operate the new line.
Martin said PFAS contamination was first detected in 2017 in some private wells south of Ellsworth and that the Air Force had supplied bottled water and point-of-entry treatment systems to about 35 properties as a short-term measure. The clean-water line will connect Rapid City and Box Elder and extend service toward Ellsworth. Under the current agreements, Rapid City will provide water free to the impacted properties for a 20-year period; Box Elder will assume ownership, operation and maintenance of the portions of the infrastructure inside its service area.
Martin described administrative steps still to come: amendments to intergovernmental agreements and additional council consideration of final details. He said some elements—such as the Rapid City–Box Elder agreement—expire in November 2025 and will need to be addressed as the project nears completion.
Mayor (unnamed) sought to clarify local exposure and public perception. "None of the water that Box Elder had was affected by any of this PFAS," the mayor said, adding that the contamination affected private wells outside the city's system.
Martin reiterated that the free water arrangement is tied to property status: property owners will receive free water for 20 years unless the owner dies or the property changes hands, at which point the property becomes a regular city water customer and deed restrictions or similar instruments will govern eligibility.
Council members asked no action be taken at the meeting; the update was informational. Martin said additional amendments to the agreements will return to the council when final details are negotiated.
The council heard the update as part of its regular meeting; no ordinance or formal funding decision was made that night.
