Lake Mitchell: red state failure on parade

It isn't the heat; it's the stupidity.

Instead of suing industrial agriculture for its role in making Lake Mitchell a shit hole the City of Mitchell is out begging the feds to pay for the cleanup. Advisories to avoid contact with the lake have been issued due to chlorophyll and phosphorus contamination. Even visitation to Mitchell's Corn Palace is evaporating because of the stench. Why has a Nebraska firm been retained to do the work? Because apparently there are no companies in South Dakota with the expertise. Anyone who believes it's only going to cost $7.62 million to fix Lake Mitchell is delusional.

Currently, the lake is tested in three locations once a week from mid-May through September, and each test costs between $40 and $60. The samples are sent to Nebraska to be tested, as there is no testing equipment closer. That means it takes several days to get the results of the tests. It was agreed at the meeting that more frequent testing needs to be done to have enough data to get grant money, and some suggestions on how to do this included hiring an intern to perform the tests, purchasing testing equipment to eliminate the need to send the samples to Nebraska. [Mitchell Daily Republic]

It's not just Lake Mitchell.

By the most recent data, with the highest number in the US, 29 lakes in South Dakota are at risk mostly because of poor agricultural practices. What do you expect when earth hater Eldon Roth of Beef Products, Inc. is South Dakota's fattest donor?

And where is Mitchell native Howdy Doody Dusty Johnson? Raising money for his own self-gratification, of course.

These episodes aren't self-reliance; they're moral hazard.