South Dakota’s Department of Environmental Regulation is changing the way it publishes reports on the water quality of the state’s rivers, lakes and streams, drawing praise for the simplified release and concerns about a reduction in the amount of information available.
Instead of publishing 2026 Surface Water Quality Assessment Over 200 pages documentas in previous years, the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources is directing the public to a scrollable presentation on the Department’s website. Another online surface water quality dashboard allows you to click on waterways on a map for information.
The report is published every two years. The 2024 report included detailed sections on monitoring, methodology, evaluation, pollution control programs, pollution sources, and more.
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That year, the state reported Seventy-eight percent of the river miles assessed and 68.5% of the state’s lake acres did not support one or more of the “beneficial uses” for which they were assigned. This refers to the practical purposes that lakes, rivers, and streams serve, such as swimming, fishing, boating, and irrigation. If a body of water does not meet a beneficial use, it means that the water is polluted beyond the standards set for that use.
2026 data show Seventy-seven percent of assessed river miles and 73% of lake acres do not support one or more beneficial uses.
Mercury in water remains a major cause of failure to support the beneficial use of water bodies. About 70% of the lake acres tested in the state have mercury levels above the standard, about the same as 2024 levels. Toxic heavy metals are introduced into fish around the world primarily through atmospheric deposition. coal fired power plant releases mercury It is released into the air before being deposited in lakes and rivers.
Another major pollutant is E. coli, with 68% of miles of rivers and streams tested at levels that are too high.
However, unlike previous reports, the new report does not include any government statements. 2024 report It cited non-point source pollution such as E. coli, which is “the most serious and pervasive threat” to the state’s water quality, as well as livestock waste and malfunctioning septic systems. These types of descriptive text will not be displayed with the same level of detail in the new format.
Paul Lorenzen, Watershed Conservation Manager; Department of Agriculture and Natural Resourcesexplained to lawmakers why the format change occurred during the 2026 legislative session. He said that in its previous form, the proportion of unsupported beneficial uses sounded “problematic” and attracted “considerable attention” without the public fully understanding its implications.
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“We’re trying to limit the narrative and use a lot of photos, graphs, tables, things like that,” Lorenzen told lawmakers.
Lorenzen said water that isn’t compatible with all uses doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unsafe or unusable. He said that often only one parameter or sample is failing, the standards may be conservative, and that an increase in the proportion of unsupported use over time may reflect more data or changes in the standards rather than a deterioration in quality.
Lorenzen said the new format is intended to make the report easier to understand and reduce reliance on dense executive summaries.
Travis Entenman is the executive director of Friends of the Big Sioux River. He said his organization is “excited that reporting is now a more user-friendly system, more interactive, and has access to more data.”
But “we feel there is a lack of analysis of the cause, and there are next steps beyond saying this is the water quality level,” Entenman said. “Now, what should we do?”
This rational public presentation comes amid growing concerns about agriculture’s role in water pollution. a legislative memo Last year, he said E. coli from livestock was the main reason some streams were unsuitable for recreational use.
When the memo was shared in November, Senate Pro Tempore Chris Carr, R-Sioux Falls; said States can no longer be “swayed” into potentially tightening agricultural regulations if they do something about water pollution. Gov. Larry Rhoden later said he would do so. set the car straight.
Then Carr became a sponsor and Roden signed. invoice Legislation was passed during this year’s legislative session to provide $10 million for water quality improvement programs. Provides $8 million to incentivize existing water quality initiatives that help landowners plant buffer strips that filter agricultural runoff, and $2 million to support improvements to local water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.
New scrollable presentation format for South Dakota Water Quality Assessment Report.
