A public open house to discuss the Big Sioux River Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study currently in progress is set for Thursday, May 28, 2009, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Kuehn Community Center, located at 2801 South Valley View Road, Sioux Falls.
The presentation will begin at 5:45 p.m. and includes an overview of the project followed by a question and answer session. There will also be examples of equipment being used to assess the water quality within the project area.
This link: http://www.siouxfalls.org/PublicWorks/environmental/tmdl_project has information on the project and updates.
The TMDL study is under way on the Big Sioux River in the Sioux Falls area, looking primarily at sediment (total suspended solids) and bacteria (fecal coliform.)
The levels of these two are now, or have historically been, above the target threshold levels for full beneficial use of the water. Both impact recreational use of the river: High TSS adversely impacts the fishery, and elevated bacteria counts pose human health risks under certain conditions.
There is more information from the 2008 Integrated Report at this link: http://denr.sd.gov/documents/08IRFinal.pdf, which has replaced the old 303(d) listing under the Clean Water Act.
The study is not looking at organic compounds such as herbicides, as there are no known impairments attributable to these substances.
SDCA members are encouraged to attend, especially if they wish to get information on how to contribute to the efforts to keep an eye on pollution in our rivers.
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