THE UPPER KEYA PAHA TRADING CO.
1310 East Old US 18 - P. O. Box 785
Antelope Community - Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation
Mission, South Dakota, U.S.A.  57555-0785
THE UPPER KEYA PAHA
VIRTUAL TRADING POST

- Beaded Jewelry -
- Beaded Caps -
- Quillwork -
- Scrimshaw -
- Earrings -
- Necklaces -
- Other Stuff -
 

History continued:
congress to amend the law to reflect changes required to fully fund the Project.
   In this funding there are requests for additional funding to compensate for cost overruns by Project entities other than the Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s portions of the Project.  We at Rosebud are still committed to constructing our system within our original construction ceiling of $47,250,000 plus cost indexing as determined by P. L. 103-434.

Mni Wiconi Amendments Signed By George W. Bush, But His Budget Falls Miserably Short to the Finacial Commitment!

   Even though George W. signed the amendment to additional funding and extention of the sunset date from this year to 2008 for completion of the project, his budget falls miserably short in funding to complete the project on schedule.  In his budget only $7,000,000.00 are proposed for the whole project.  In the past presidential budgets have also under funded the project but action by project sponsors and supporters have always increased funding from proposed levels of around $15,000,000.00 annually to $23,000,000.00 to $28,000,000.00 that still were not sufficient to complete the construction by the 2003 deadline.  At this rate it appears that the project should start looking at legislation to extend the new sunset date...again!
   Current trends of falling stock market and now expensive fuels that will increase living costs will only hurt those who have retirements related to the markets and can’t write off the cost of expensive fuels need for day to day existance.
   A yard stick I use to measure this issue of funding: Mni Wiconi - $7,000,000; Aid To Africal (AIDS) - $15,000,000,000; Aid to Turkey to station 40,000 troops - Somewhere between $26-32,000,000,000
 

Accomplishments continued

north of the city that in turn allowed the community of Two Strike to be put online.  The Smaller tank which was replaced at KINI-FM was moved to Rosebud to the IHS complex to provide required fire protection and backup water supply for that area.  Fortunately the Mni Wiconi O&M Building that also houses Mni Wiconi construction administration office (RST Office of Water Resources) is located at the IHS Complex and will also benefit from this tank.
   Phase X - Mission Southwest.  This portion of the project was also constructed by the Tribe’s own construction crew.  It consisted of a eight inch line from the US 18/83 North Junction to the City of Mission treatment building locate a couple miles south of Mission near the Prairie Hills Golf Course.  This line enables the Rosebud wells and storage to assist Mission and the Antelope area with a backup source of water.  
   Phase XI - Spring Creek Rural. This was originally part of Phase IX but when the project was split up  rural lines and service connections to upper Spring Creek became Phase XI and is nearing completion.  This work was accomplished by the Tribes own construction crew centered out of the Solid Waste Program.

   Phase XI - White River to Murdo.  This portion of the project will deliver surface water from the new treatment plant located at Ft. Pierre that is operated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe.  This project is now under contract to Morris, Inc of Ft. Pierre, SD.  It is scheduled to be completed by the early fall of 2003. 
   This milestone of the project will accomplish two things for Rosebud.  First, surface water will replace the water now being delivered to the tribal communities of Horse Creek, Swift Bear, Norris and Corn Creek.  The city of White River and the western Mellette project controlled by West River/Lyman Jones will also get their water from the same surface water.  Second, Rosebud’s production was limited while servicing these communities.  This will allow the Tribe to distribute water to other communities within the exterior boundaries of the Rosebud Reservation.

New Issues Facing the Project

           Water Shortage in Okreek
   Recently wells in the community of Okreek have been failing to keep an adequate supply of water available for the residents and the school.  A local contractor was hired to transport tanker loads of water form the system in Antelope to help alleviate the shortage, but is a costly venture. 
   Talks with Tripp County Water User District (TCWID) that has water lines in the area and in the past serviced Okreek but could not supply sufficient water to meet demand.  This lead the IHS to develop the current well field and pump house that ultimately provided sufficient water for the area. 
   The water was pumped from a shallow alluvial acquifer and met the need of the area.  Now that the wells have started failing most likely due to the lack of moisture this past year resulting in drought conditions, other alternatives must be considered.
   The Okreek area was always in the sights for one of the next projects as soon as surface water from Murdo to White River would allow the Tribe to direct our water in that direction.  Current conditions and savings on the total cost of the getting surface water to White River has allowed the Tribe’s engineering firm, HKM, Inc., to fast track the design and the relative ease of getting easements for this leg will allow timely completion by the target date of the first of August, 2003.
   The cost of re-connecting to TCWUD, in my opinion is very expensive and still could not provide sufficient water for the area.