PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The natural gas supplier for McCook Lake in southeastern South Dakota says that the flooding there last summer was an unexpected hit to the company’s bottom line.
In a new filing with state regulators, MidAmerican Energy Company reported spending $520,211.84 responding to the June 2024 rain event.
The company is asking the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission for approval to use deferred accounting and establish a regulatory asset, reflecting the company’s costs for equipment, facilities, supplies, labor, meals, travel and other services regarding the flood.
The PUC oversees utility rates charged to a company’s customers. “The costs may be presented to the Commission for review in a future natural gas rate case,” the company said in its petition.
According to the petition, “On June 23, 2024, the Big Sioux River crested at 44.84 feet, the highest ever recorded, sending water into McCook Lake, causing catastrophic damage. Authorities contend they executed a long-established flood mitigation plan, which involved constructing a temporary levee across Interstate 29 at exit 4.2 The levee diverted water toward McCook Lake.”
The petition states that the levee was recommended by South Dakota Emergency Management, Union County Emergency Management, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with the North Sioux City Council agreeing to it.
“The levee and flooding caused significant damage to MidAmerican facilities and required significant investment of resources to provide natural gas service to South Dakota customers,” the petition continued. “A total of 481 MidAmerican natural gas customers in the North Sioux City and McCook Lake area were impacted by the flooding. Additionally, 45 natural gas customers in Jefferson, South Dakota were impacted by flooding.”
Flood waters damaged MidAmerican’s gas line to 423 customers on the north and west side of McCook Lake, and the company capped the line that night. Bottle-gas service began on June 29, a temporary above-ground line was later laid, and a permanent 4-inch underground line was installed on August 6.
