Water pollution
State’s $3 million Big Sioux cleanup project is slow to catch on
A $3 million program created by the state in 2021 to reduce agricultural pollution in the Big Sioux River has attracted two sign-ups, while drawing criticism for duplicating existing local projects. Meanwhile, the state has doubled the financial incentives for landowners in an effort to attract more interest. Rep. Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, introduced the […]
Less rain results in a cleaner Big Sioux River, report says
SIOUX FALLS — Less precipitation means less pollution is running into the Big Sioux River, according to a 2023 water quality report. “We had a significantly less amount of rain than 2022, and that has resulted in better numbers,” said Rachel Kloos, with Friends of the Big Sioux River. The organization shared the report Wednesday […]
Not all livestock operations in South Dakota have to manage waste equally
A large feedlot near Watertown with about 10,000 cattle was recently disciplined for not properly managing its manure. But not by the state. It was the Codington County Board of Adjustment that responded to public complaints. The board found the operation violated 25 zoning ordinances or permit requirements. As a result, the board decided to […]
New federal water pollution rule draws mixed reaction
A federal rule limiting agencies’ power to regulate water pollution will severely restrict protections for waters and wetlands throughout the country, but could also be subject to challenges from conservative groups that maintain the new rule exerts more federal jurisdiction than the U.S. Supreme Court intended in a May decision. With the rule published Tuesday […]
Cleanup of abandoned Black Hills mine on hold for potential re-mining
Aspects of a two-decade-long cleanup at an abandoned Black Hills gold mine are pausing because a company might want to re-mine it. The Gilt Edge Mine was abandoned in 1999 when its operator, Brohm Mining, went bankrupt. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took over the site the next year. The EPA’s Joy Jenkins, of Denver, […]
U.S. House Dems want data on impact of Supreme Court ruling on wetlands protection
Top Democrats on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee asked federal agencies Monday to track possible negative effects from a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that limited federal authority to regulate clean water. Washington’s Rick Larsen, the ranking Democrat on the committee, and Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee ranking member Grace Napolitano of California, […]
Federal study detects ‘forever chemicals’ in three SD private wells
Rural water systems across the United States are less likely than urban areas to be contaminated with “forever chemicals” that may lead to health problems such as cancer, thyroid disease and high cholesterol, according to a study from the U.S. Geological Survey released Tuesday. But the same study detected those chemicals in rural private wells […]
Proposed EPA ‘forever chemicals’ regulation could cost SD millions for testing, cleanup
Nearly 100 families living in Box Elder have been drinking bottled water provided by the military for the past five years. That’s because their water system was contaminated with chemicals used in firefighting foam at nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base. And Sioux Falls has had 21 wells — a significant amount of its water production […]
State regulators propose, then roll back, stricter environmental requirements for oil wells
State regulators proposed stricter environmental requirements for three oil wells in South Dakota but are poised to roll back some of the requirements after the affected company objected. The company is Citation Oil & Gas Corp. of Houston, Texas. It’s attempting to renew an expiring surface-water discharge permit for three wells – including one that’s […]
Pollution carried by major floods is killing our lakes
The state of South Dakota’s lackadaisical, careless approach to protecting its lakes and streams from agricultural pollution is glaringly apparent when floods are viewed from an airplane. Hundreds of acres of plowed fields sent tons of black soil down the Big Sioux River during the week of April 8-15. Significant amounts of mud ended up […]
U.S. House fails to override Biden veto of WOTUS legislation
The U.S. House on Tuesday failed to override a President Joe Biden veto, which means the administration’s regulation stays in place expanding which waters and wetlands can be regulated under the federal Clean Water Act. The House did not clear the two-thirds mark needed to overturn Biden’s veto of a resolution that would have blocked […]
Federal judge temporarily blocks new Biden WOTUS rule in two dozen states
A federal judge in North Dakota on Wednesday blocked in 24 states — including South Dakota — the Biden administration’s newly effective definition of waters that can be regulated under the Clean Water Act. U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland, a George W. Bush appointee on retired status in the North Dakota District, issued a preliminary […]