Mayor says more action needed on Big Sioux River pollution

Sioux Falls Mayor Mike Huether is headed to Watertown on Wednesday to host his fifth annual Big Sioux River water summit.

On Tuesday, Huether stood near a grassy buffer zone between the river and Cherry Rock Park and said he hopes water quality efforts continue after his administration ends in eight months.

"One of my fears is that the week after I'm done, they'll go right back to mowing it again," Huether said of the buffer strips.

The water summit is designed to bring together mayors up and down the watershed to encourage more steps like buffer strips to filter urban runoff and outreach to agricultural producers outside city limits.

All cities have a voice in water quality, he said, even those outside the Big Sioux watershed.

"They all have creeks, they all have lakes, they all have bodies of water," Huether said. 

The summit  features speakers from the Upper Big Sioux, Natural Resource Conservation Service and Friends of the Big Sioux River.

The keynote speaker will be water and wetlands expert Marinus Otte of North Dakota State University.

The Big Sioux RIver is classified as an impaired water body, too polluted for swimming, and often too polluted for kayaking and canoing.

Water quality in Sioux Falls has improved by some measure since the city began partnering with producers, paying them to build fences to keep cattle away from Skunk Creek.

Jesse Neyens, an environmental specialist for the city, said the next steps will be to reach out to other states and to agricultural groups to work on voluntary programs to improve water quality.

"We're going out and we're soliciting their help," Neyens said.

The summit is free to attend and does not require pre-registration. It takes place at the Watertown Events Center from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.