US Army Corps of Engineers Finalizes Flood Control Strategies for Big Sioux River in Watertown
- Steve Jurrens
- Jun 2
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Structural adjustments to the face of Watertown’s natural infrastructure and municipal recycling policies dominated the executive report during Monday’s City Council session. City Manager Alan Stager presented updates concerning federal flood mitigation designs for the Big Sioux River channel, alongside data-driven realities regarding local glass management programs.
Left Bank Levee Selected for Big Sioux Protection
Stager announced that the United States Army Corps of Engineers has officially issued its final Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment regarding long-term flood control within the Municipality of Watertown.
The federal document mirrors initial draft frameworks reviewed by local staff nearly a year ago, solidifying an engineering strategy that prioritizes channel widening and the construction of a substantially taller levee network positioned on the Left Bank of the Big Sioux River.
The final federal report introduces a change in water management policy by entirely removing a controversial provision from previous studies: the utilization of Lake Kampeska as a structural storage reservoir for seasonal floodwaters.
“The report recommendation has removed the use of Lake Kampeska in any way as a storage reservoir for floodwaters, so that management that was in a prior report is no longer in the final report,” Stager highlighted to the council.
The project is entering a standard federal public comment window before being fully finalized by the Corps in August 2026. Following finalization, the Chief of the US Army Corps of Engineers will issue an official recommendation to clear the way for congressional authorization and federal funding allocation.
Stager described the release as the foundational first step in a highly structured, multi-year civil works process.
