6/12/17

Drought could make non-meandered lakes fix moot


Since South Dakota statehood the US Army Corps of Engineers have had purview over water that flows into bodies that can support navigation.

Nearly every moving stream, intermittent or not in South Dakota, has supported a pre-settlement Amerindian or European explorer pulling and propelling a canoe over it.

In South Dakota, once it leaves its source, all surface water that flows from or through private property is owned by the state.

Property owners can harvest and possess rainwater and with a permit can pump from aquifers; but, the moment runoff reaches another body of water outside that boundary, contaminated by whatever residue it encounters along the way, within state borders, it's the property of the State of South Dakota.

Unfortunately, in South Dakota, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is governed by those same offenders and therefore effectively neutered.

Rapid City environmental lawyer David Ganje is doing work for the South Dakota Farmers Union. He believes the legislature's fix is deeply flawed.
The summer committee of the Legislature voted approval of a nonmeandered waters bill June 2. The bill includes several workable and good provisions. Still, the committee opted for a bill that is unfinished, even for the limited, immediate issues the bill seeks to remedy. This use of public waters cannot be bought or leased by the state. If the purpose of the bill is to buy or lease property rights from private landowners, the bill does not achieve this purpose. [David Ganje]
According to KWAT Radio 2014 gubernatorial loser, Susan Wismer is supporting the fix.

Longtime Democratic politico, Nick Nemec said, "the simplest and easiest solution is to forgive all property taxes on submerged land and open it to recreation. Possibly include 50-100 foot setbacks from shore and expanded no wake zones as an answer to some of the complaints of landowners."

Largely created by tiling East River lakes are mostly eutrophic shit holes filled with toxic algae and unable to even support fish populations: why they're not tapped for irrigation instead of pumping fossil water from depleted aquifers remains a mystery.

Ranchers and farmers who pump aquifers to water hay crops are out of hay after giving it to other ag welfare recipients this Spring.

That's not self-reliance; it's moral hazard.

This legislation is simply an extension of the watershed buffer bill that has no teeth either.

Despite greater than average mountain runoff into the Missouri River permanent disaster area South Dakota is banking on drought to coax relief from the Trump Organization even as the Prairie Pothole Region suffers from the ravages of industrial agriculture.

Little wonder the federal government wants ag welfare and crop insurance reform.

6 comments:

larry kurtz said...

South Dakota's earth hater governor signed a bill after the GOP-glutted SD legislature passed a "compromise" bill because the best legal remedy is the one that pisses off all the litigants. Frank Kloucek tells readers of the Yankton Press & Dakotan that swine are always cast before the pearls clean water provides. Another genius tells listeners of WNAX that getting livestock out of the tributaries will improve the water quality in the James River.

Liberals who live in South Dakota are masochists.

Anonymous said...

South Dakota is becoming a model or dreamland for corporate/Oligarch interests that use the Bible thumpers as their useful idiots. CAFOS are springing up near the Missouri river north west of Yankton now and are spreading. That concentrated animal waste is the worst smell that is very hard to get out of your senses if one of those tankers has a leak on the highway. It is too bad because that area is a beautiful area of South Dakota. Both Dakotas will end up being one big Superfund site eventually. Depressing!

Anonymous said...

I see you replied to one of Heidelbergers cult followers! Their savior. Boy are they going to be let down when they realize he will sell them out to advance his ego. Lets just say there is a growing number of progressives that are looking forward to his next run for office.

larry kurtz said...

He's just like every policy wonk: all theory with no plan to win elections.

Anonymous said...

While spend money and time on trustworthy progressive candidates we will also spend money and time to help Heidelberger lose hopefully by an even larger margin. It will be fun to watch.

larry kurtz said...

It's highly doubtful Heidelberger will run for any office any time soon. Humiliation might be in the cards for Lora Hubbel or Stace Nelson but Cory's pockets just aren't deep enough to be a perennial fool.