For years, a lack of federal funding has put the Lewis and Clark Water project behind schedule, but now money from the federal government is putting the water system on the fast track. Lewis and Clark is receiving 56 million dollars from the federal stimulus package. 

In the past two weeks Lewis and Clark has received three year's worth of funding from the federal government. Last week they found out they were getting a record 27 million dollars in the 2009 budget. And this week they found out they would get 56 million dollars from the federal stimulus package. It's a welcome change from what project executives are used to.

A lack of federal funding has delayed the Lewis and Clark Water System by four years, but the money coming out of Washington in the last few weeks is going to help the project make up for lost time.

"The 56-point-5 million is essentially an additional two years of construction that we're able to accelerate," Lewis and Clark Executive Director Troy Larson said.

Cities such as Centerville, Lennox, Beresford, and Parker will see a direct benefit from that money, those towns will now be hooked up to the water system by 2012 because of the stimulus package.

"Now we plan to have ten members hooked up by accelerating the construction by two years. So, ten members hooked up instead of five is a big plus for those communities," Larson said.

And Lewis and Clark Executive Director Troy Larson says that will move the completion date up for other communities waiting for water. It's a welcome change from what the water system is used to.

"It's a nice change for once usually we're talking about how we didn't quite get what we had requested but we're going to make dow with what we've got. Here's an example for once that certainly the funding has exceeded our expectations," Larson said.

Larson also says the money will help Lewis and Clark complete the water treatment plant near Vermillion and create 600 jobs.