Water quality

COMMENTARY
Zebra mussels on a rock pulled out of Lake Kampeska at Watertown, and washed-up piles of aquatic weeds. (Brad Johnson, for South Dakota Searchlight)

State is content to be a benchwarmer in aquatic invasive species battle

BY: - September 22, 2023

Pathetic best describes South Dakota’s response as zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species transform the state’s lakes and rivers. While Minnesota invests heavily in education and research to counter the impacts of zebra mussels, our state gives lip service.  Leadership flows down from Gov. Kristi Noem and, since protecting our water is not important […]

A wetland area in the Chesapeake Bay. (Courtesy EPA)

U.S. House Dems want data on impact of Supreme Court ruling on wetlands protection

BY: - July 10, 2023

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, […]

Firefighting foam, used at airports and military bases, has been identified as a source of toxic PFAS chemicals. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fire Administration)

Federal study detects ‘forever chemicals’ in three SD private wells

BY: - July 6, 2023

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 […]

The sun sets on a wetland northwest of Hartford, South Dakota. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

Supreme Court wetlands decision has SD water advocates worried

BY: - June 18, 2023

A recent U.S. Supreme Court wetlands decision may have implications for wetlands in South Dakota, which has a law that says state environmental regulations and rules cannot be more strict than federal ones. A wetland is generally viewed as an area of land that is covered or soaked with water for at least part of […]

Prairie potholes in the Upper Midwest. (Courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

Feds propose drainage rules to protect wetlands in SD and nearby states

BY: - May 26, 2023

A government agency wants to keep water-draining equipment used by farmers away from federally protected wetlands in several states. Drain tiles are underground perforated pipes buried in farmers’ fields. They are used to drain unwanted water – including some wetlands – allowing for more room to plant crops. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is […]

Firefighting foam, used at airports and military bases, has been identified as a source of toxic PFAS chemicals. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fire Administration)

Proposed EPA ‘forever chemicals’ regulation could cost SD millions for testing, cleanup

BY: - April 21, 2023

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 […]

Contractors conduct groundwater sampling in March 2022 as part of an effort to provide alternative water supplies for areas affected by PFAS contamination near Ellsworth Air Force Base. (U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center)

Pentagon to halt use of firefighting foam that contains PFAS as cleanup costs mount

BY: and - March 16, 2023

WASHINGTON — Battered by years of criticism from U.S. lawmakers and environmental advocates, the Department of Defense will stop purchasing PFAS-containing firefighting foam later this year and phase it out entirely in 2024.  The replacement for Aqueous Film Forming Foam has yet to be determined, and advocates are frustrated it’s taken so long to halt […]

These boxes can be buried almost entirely underground, leaving room to remove the lid, and are spliced into a drain tile system. Structures in the boxes can be used to raise the level of drainage outlets, helping to retain more water in the soil during dry times. (Courtesy of SDSU)

Researcher says simple fix could help farmers retain water and nutrients, but few are using it

BY: - February 6, 2023

Few farmers have installed a control system to manage water discharged from underground pipes, even though it could benefit their bottom line and the environment, according to research underway at South Dakota State University.  “Drain tile” is the common name for perforated pipes that many farmers bury under their fields to remove excess water. John […]

Workers with East Bay Municipal Utility District install new water pipe on April 22, 2021, in Oakland, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

White House launches new push to help states remove lead pipes that carry drinking water

BY: - January 27, 2023

WASHINGTON — The White House on Friday announced plans to speed up the use of infrastructure law funds to replace lead pipes in underserved communities, with a focus on Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin beginning this year. The four states, each led by Democratic governors, will be part of what’s called the Lead Service […]

Sioux Falls as seen from Falls Park, on the Big Sioux River. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Drought causing more minerals to enter Sioux Falls drinking water source

BY: - December 4, 2022

A state water quality report says the part of the Big Sioux River that Sioux Falls uses for drinking water contains dissolved solids beyond the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. A city water official says the drought is causing the uptick in minerals, like salt. The state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources […]

Wastewater treatment plant in Buena Vista, Georgia, on July 29, 2020.

Town of Hermosa fined for spraying too much wastewater over farm fields

BY: - November 17, 2022

The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) has fined Hermosa $13,000 for Surface Water Discharge permit violations. The city of 373, located about 20 miles south of Rapid City, failed to submit documentation before spraying wastewater on agricultural land, the DANR said. It also failed to monitor that wastewater and went over […]