2022 Integrated report on Surface Water Quality. Deadline for comments is March 6, 2022

The 2022 integrated report on surface water quality is out for public review. As water quality standards are a combination of beneficial use and criteria for various pollutants (criteria specifically set for that beneficial use), if folks know of water bodies whose beneficial use has not been specifically assigned, might want to complain about that. . Comment deadline of 3/6/2022

If you think a water has fisheries or is used for immersion swimming and is instead assigned a the default beneficial use of # 9, you might request a Use Attainability analysis (UAA) and complain about failure to notice fish in that stream/pond (getting fish acknowledged – if not yet noticed – will increase the water quality standards).  It can take 2 years to get a UAA done. Watching over the beneficial use assigned to water bodies to be targeted by mines, shooting ranges , timber sales etc is important (make sure surface water has proper beneficial use assigned). For lakes you may need to go to Administrative rule to get the list of lakes/ponds that have specific BU assigned.

List of beneficial uses is found at the administrative rule web site.- https://sdlegislature.gov/Rules/Administrative/28396

Public notice of release of draft report for comment.

Download the Draft report