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Meade County Commission Proposed Shooting Range Elk Vale Road
July 27, 2021 @ 9:30 am - 10:00 am
John Kanta at SDGFP knows about the shooting range. Engineering plans have been drawn up.
As federal funds are sought, a NEPA analysis may be done. Nancy Hilding can e-mail you a PDF of thedrawings of Rapid City Firearms Range Complex
SDGFP Commission’s Resolution about land purchase can be found at link (The range will be in Meade not Pennington County): https://gfp.sd.gov/UserDocs/meetings/21-03_Resolution_-_Authorizing_purchase_of_Rapid_City_Shooting_Range_(3).pdf
Some environmental issues associated with shooting ranges can be – noise from gun fire with hundreds of shooting positions, traffic increases on dirt roads, fire risk, lead contamination from bullets and impacts to ponds/creeks/ground water in nearby area. There are several ponds or impoundments on or near edges of the property. The range’s south boundary bisects a pond on an unnamed tributary of Elk Creek.The range is divided between Elk and Antelope Creek drainage basins, likely with at least some of the northeast-end of range would be draining to Antelope Creek and the south-end will be draining to Elk Creek.
In the pink map below, the range’s south boundary crosses the heart shaped pond just east of Elk Vale Rd, that sits on a tributary that flows southeast to Elk Creek – merging with the Creek in several miles. It’s north boundary is near the slight bend in Elk Vale Rd at a mile and a quarter above that pond. It is a half mile wide and a mile and a quarter tall.
Map – as JPG file below
Each of the smaller shooting bays may have 5 -10 shooting lanes/each. There are 29 such bays. The 200-400 ft bays may have 20 shooting position/each. The extra long bays may have 40 positions., The shooting clays have 12 positions/each. Decibels from each gun fire are significant 150dB-163.2 dB and this range could have more than 300 shooting positions; https://earinc.com/gunfire-noise-level-reference-chart/.
Concerns about lead pollution:
Fact sheet on Lead Pollution at Outdoor Firing Ranges:
EPA on BMP on managing lead at shooting ranges
Drawing of the master plan for the site – as JPG file below
