Utilities commissioner reports on solid waste, water and library accomplishments

Commissioner Klute gave a wrap‑up of utilities and library activity for the year, highlighting operations and upgrades across solid waste, water/wastewater and library services.

Solid waste: Klute said the department serves about 1,800 residential containers daily and manages roughly 260 commercial accounts every week. The new transfer station is operational; the department improved metal and rubble disposal access, and a new automated yard‑waste drop‑off system is planned. Klute said Huron operates the third‑largest city‑run composting site in South Dakota and recently hosted the state composting conference.

Water and wastewater: Klute noted the department lined 17 blocks of sewer, grouted about 270 sewer services, replaced two lift stations and replaced about 30 blocks of water main. The city completed a SCADA upgrade to link treatment plants, the water plant and lift stations. Huron received the Department of Ag and Natural Resources Secretary’s Award for Drinking Water Excellence for the 24th consecutive year.

Library: Klute reported the library’s summer reading program had 421 participants; the library recorded 84,333 visits in 2025 and circulation of 158,750 items. The library ran 1,457 programs with 36,618 attendees in 2025, added a Toy Lending Library affiliation, launched a volunteer recording studio, and used a $20,000 grant to fund automatic restroom doors and an ADA‑compliant drive‑up book return. The library also received a $100,000 gift from the Donald V. Urquhart Trust and named a meeting room in donor recognition.

Klute encouraged residents to use the services and thanked staff for the year’s accomplishments.