WATERTOWN, S.D. (KWAT)–The Watertown City Council has given authorization to City Manager Alan Stager to apply for a nearly five-million dollar federal grant to provide funding for the construction of a new solar farm at Watertown Regional Airport.

Mayor Ried Holien tells KWAT News there’s no guarantee Watertown will get the grant, but at least applying for it is a no-brainer.

“I don’t care how you feel about solar energy. Just imagine a five million dollar construction project coming into Watertown and getting those workers here, getting those tax dollars here, because that’s all money coming into Watertown. So right off the bat, that’s good news for Watertown if we can potentially get this.”

Watertown should get notice from the Federal Aviation Administration in early 2026 if it’s awarded the grant.

The actual grant total would be $4.75 million, with the state of South Dakota and the city of Watertown each kicking in $125,000 to the total cost of the project.