The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Danr) received a $150,000 Formula Grant award from the Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 under the Water Quality Management Planning program (CFDA 66.454).
The funding will support Danr's statewide water quality management planning program through September 2024. Danr will allocate 40% of the award to regional watershed agencies for developing and implementing water quality management plans. Activities include developing total maximum daily loads, assessing best management practice effectiveness, trend monitoring, and source water monitoring. Cyanotoxin sampling will also be conducted at selected waterbodies.
Subawards will fund projects to improve impaired waters and protect unimpaired waters across South Dakota. This includes rotating basin assessments in the Black Hills and water quality monitoring in South Central South Dakota to collect data for use in total maximum daily load development and assessing best management practice effectiveness. Funding will also provide supplies and equipment for water quality sampling. Outcomes include developed total maximum daily loads and improved best management practices.