Water Quality
Explore, enjoy and protect the planet
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Water Quality |
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Explore, enjoy and protect the planet |
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Water Quality We don't have abundant water
resources in SD, but what we do have, we should take care of. The East
River Sierra Club is calling for citizen
volunteers to let our public officials know how critical our water is to our
way of life. South Dakota water isn't as pristine as it once was &
below are some reasons why:
According to the Final 2004 Integrated Report for Surface Water Quality Assessment released by the SD Department of Environment & Natural
Resources:*
Pollutants of concern include: suspended solids due to erosion, ammonia
from fertilizers, nutrients from livestock run-off, and bacteria, such
as fecal coloform from
livestock run-off. 49% of recently monitored lakes in the Big Sioux
River Basin do not meet the assigned water quality criteria.
More than 10,000 lake acres, involving over six lakes, are under
mercury advisory in SD. Although SD does not have any coal-powered
power plants, (the primary
cause of mercury toxins), air currents have moved mercury
pollution hundreds of miles from neighboring states. THE TECHNOLOGY TO
REDUCE MERCURY EMISSIONS IS AVAILABLE, but Bush administration
policy doesn't provide incentives for power plants to upgrade or penalties
for those who don't!** Can SD's Water Resources Support Industrial Agriculture?
Sierra Club is concerned that because of fiascoes in other states, we will
supply the resources and end up footing the bill. One cow needs 80
gallons of water per day and emits 8-10 times more waste than a human.**
How can a region already worried about its water source handle the 250,000 plus
herds maintained by factory farms being considered in both Moody and Lincoln
Counties?**
You Can Make a Difference SD relies primarily on voluntary implementation and monitoring of pollution
management, so . . . Urge President Obama and Governor Rounds to protect our natural resources
from corporate agriculture and to preserve area
wetlands which filter pollution and mercury, by enforcing the Clean Water Act.
Avoid mis-use of pesticides and fertilizers. Run off from fields,
parking lots, and yards adds up to serious water pollution!
Plant a Rain Garden---for more information, visit our web site below.**
SWIMMERS: One sign of potentially toxic water conditions is when algae
is on the surface of the water. It is best to avoid swimming in water with
algae, especially if the swimmer has an open abrasion. Do not swallow
lake, river or stream water.
Read Before You Swim, Fish, or Boat----
A Partial List of Damaged Streams, Creeks, Rivers in Eastern SD Big Sioux River
Near Baltic, Sioux
Falls, Brandon, John Morrell Big Sioux
Mainstem from Point near Volga to below Baltic Big Sioux
Mainstem from Skunk Creek to Mouth Big Sioux
Mainstem from Willow Creek to Stray Horse Creek Volga
Watertown; Oak Valley Farms Near Trent Near Flandreau Brookings
Near Egan Near Dell
Rapids Near Brookings Skunk Creek
Near Chester Near Hartford Vermillion River From Turkey Ridge Creek to Mouth McCook/Lake County Line to Little Vermillion River Near Canistota Near Vermillion Near Parker Near Salem Near Marion Wolf Creek Near
Bridgewater Near Emery James River Near Mitchell Bachelor Creek Moody County A Partial List of Damaged Lakes, Reservoirs, Ponds in Eastern SD Covell Lake Sioux Falls East Oakwood Lake
Brookings County West Oakwood Lake
Brookings County Lake Campbell/Battle Creek Brookings-Lake-Moody County East Vermillion Lake McCook County Freeman Lake
Jackson County Lake Andes
Charles Mix County Lake Herman
Lake County Lake St. John
Hamlin County Lake Norden
Hamlin County Lake Preston
Kingsbury County Whitewood Lake Kingsbury County Lake Thompson Kingsbury
County * http://www.state.sd.us/denr/documents/04irfinal.pdf | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||