SD's water protectors encouraged by farm regulation chatter

In farming, buffer strips are stretches of permanent vegetation, like grasses, that are planted around crop fields to control erosion. In South Dakota, water quality experts say not enough landowners are making use of the tool. (Photo courtesy of Farm and Livestock Directory)

Signs are pointing to South Dakota having more serious talks about protecting the state's waterways from agriculture runoff. That has conservationists feeling hopeful, even with political complications. The legislature's Executive Board received a water quality update last week. For rivers and streams, nearly 80 percent of the stretches evaluated don't support one or more of their beneficial uses, like swimming or fishing.

Contributing factors include fertilizers and other farm pollution. Key lawmakers mentioned that incentives for landowners to do their part aren't enough, with tougher regulations floated.

Travis Entenman with Friends of the Big Sioux River says this could be a new era for the state.

ENTENMAN1

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0:06 "There's just a lot of runway left for us to explore to see how we can best manage our water resources."

According to South Dakota Searchlight, a top Republican lawmaker suggesting a tougher approach also acknowledges how difficult these talks will be within farming circles. And his comments were criticized by the governor, who is a rancher. If additional resources are recommended, a tight budget forecast for the state next year might limit how much new money is spent. Legislative officials say the outlook is grim for additional federal support.

Entenman says if the state waits to take meaningful action, more communities will face pressure to clean up pollution they're not responsible for.

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0:09 "What's happening is downstream communities are impacted and have to bear the burden of cleaning up the water. So, we are subsidizing upstream activities."

For the Big Sioux River, unsafe levels of E. coli are a big concern, with researchers noting the most likely source of bacteria is animal waste. Entenman's group wants to provide more funding to help farmers implement "buffer strips" between their fields and local waterways. He also likes the idea of tougher permitting, and says there should be avenues that limit financial strain for struggling farms.