Pactola Reservoir

A portion of the Pactola Reservoir in the Black Hills. (Seth Tupper/SD Searchlight)

Federal agencies seek to protect Pactola Reservoir and Rapid Creek from mining

BY: - March 17, 2023

Two federal agencies have announced a proposal to protect 32 square miles of the Black Hills National Forest from mining. The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service made the announcement in a Friday news release. The proposal covers the Pactola Reservoir and Rapid Creek Watershed, which are popular recreation destinations that also serve […]

Left: The flow on Rapid Creek while a dam gate was closed at Pactola Reservoir. Right: The bypass pipe used to keep some water flowing at Pactola while the dam gate was closed. (Photos courtesy of David Hanna)

Sudden low water in Rapid Creek frustrates anglers, water users

BY: - December 9, 2022

Anglers and water users are criticizing a Black Hills dam’s government managers for a lack of communication about sudden low-water flows threatening downstream fish and domestic water supplies. Rapid Creek flows droppedĀ from 40 to 12 cubic feet per second on Nov. 30. That imperiled brown trout spawning, which occurs during the fall, and created a […]