Lower Brule Sioux Tribe

The Lower Brule Reservation in central South Dakota is losing land because of shoreline erosion along Lake Sharpe, a reservoir on the Missouri River, which has caused detrimental effects for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe including losses of cultural sites, recreation access points, wildlife habitat, irrigated cropland, and landmass. To better understand and quantify shoreline erosion, the Lower Brul

Numerous lakes, ponds, and wetlands are located within the Lower Brule Indian Reservation. Wetlands are an important resource providing aquatic habitat for plants and animals, and acting as a natural water filtration system. Several of the wetlands on or near the reservation are of particular interest, but information on the physical and biological integrity of these wetlands was needed to provide

The Lower Brule Indian Reservation covers an area of about 404 square miles. Agriculture, primarily livestock and crop production, is the major industry. In 1992, about 5,900 acres were irrigated by the Tribe and about 3,800 other acres either were being irrigated or had State permits for irrigation. Precipitation averages about 17.4 inches per year. Diversions to the reservation from the Missouri

Effective improvement of economic and social conditions of Indians living on Crow Creek and Lower Brule Reservations has been hampered by lack of adequate and reliable information about the quantity and quality of water supplies available for development.  Compounding the problem, and making especially pressing the need for discovery and development of new water supplies, is the recent filling of