Unified Interior Regions
South Dakota
Surface water and groundwater provide important water supplies in South Dakota. Major rivers include the Big Sioux, James, Cheyenne, and Missouri Rivers. Key aquifers include the Dakota, Madison, Minnelusa, and Big Sioux aquifers. The Dakota Water Science Center has many studies that focus on these resources as well various other national and international studies.
States L2 Landing Page Tabs
Black Hills Area Floods - 1877 to 1890
Black Hills Area Floods - 1877 to 1890
Look under the Multimedia table for pictures and more information regarding the event date and location, flow data (if available), a brief summary of the event, and links to available photographs or scanned newspaper articles.
Black Hills Hydrology Study
Black Hills Hydrology Study
The 1972 Black Hills-Rapid City Flood
The 1972 Black Hills-Rapid City Flood Revisited
RRAWFLOW: Rainfall-Response Aquifer and Watershed Flow Model
RRAWFLOW: Rainfall-Response Aquifer and Watershed Flow Model
Concepts for Study of the Contamination Potential of Bedrock Aquifers in the Black Hills Area, Western South Dakota
Concepts for Study of the Contamination Potential of Bedrock Aquifers in the Black Hills Area, Western South Dakota
Hydrologic Units for South Dakota in Google Earth
Project Period: 2009
Cooperator: Hyde County Conservation District, South Dakota Association of Conservation Districts
Project Chief: Ryan Thompson
Land Treatment Digital Library
The LTDL was created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to catalog information about land treatments on Federal lands in the western United States for all interested parties. The flexible framework of the library allows for the storage of a wide variety of data in different formats. The LTDL currently stores previously established land treatments or what often are called legacy data. The...
Groundwater Flow, Quality, and Mixing in the Wind Cave National Park Area, South Dakota
Project Period: 2007-2010
Cooperator: National Park Service
Project Chief: Andrew Long
Hydrologic Information for Evaluation of Reservoir Management Strategies for Sheridan Lake to Enhance Fish Habitat in Spring Creek
Project Period: 2007-2008
Cooperator: South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks
Project Chief: Dan Driscoll
National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN)
Project Period: 2002-2008
Project Chief: Kathy Neitzert
Potentiometric Surface Mapping of the Arikaree Aquifer, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and Bennett County, South Dakota
Project Period: 1998-2007
Cooperator: Oglala Sioux Tribe
Project Chief: Janet Carter
Bedrock Groundwater Levels for Selected Wells located in Western Pennington County
Bedrock Groundwater Levels for Selected Wells located in Western Pennington County
Spearfish Creek at Spearfish, SD (USGS Streamgage 06431500)
Gage house for Spearfish Creek at Spearfish, SD (USGS streamgage 06431500). This site was established as a U.S. Geological Survey streamgage on October 9, 1946, and is operated in cooperation with South Dakota Department of Natural Resources. Streamgages are visited by a USGS hydrologic technician on 6-week intervals throughout the year. The October or early November visit
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EROS: EarthExplorer and GloVis - Register For An Account
USGS EROS | How To Search and Download Satellite Imagery The USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center has created a series of videos to help users search for and download remotely sensed imagery. The first step in the process is to register for a free account so you can search and order data from EarthExplorer and GloVis websites. This video walks you
Jennifer Lacey: Leading USGS in Space
For this native South Dakotan, a love for math and a college trip to EROS in Sioux Falls, SD led to overseeing USGS's Landsat operations including the upcoming 2020 launch of Landsat 9. Read Jennifer's story and other #womeninscience stories at https://bit.ly/2D1RHk5
Image of the Week - Beetle Damage in the Black Hills
Ponderosa pine forests in the Black Hills of South Dakota are the focus of this week’s USGS Image of the Week.
Mountain pine beetles are about the size of a grain of rice, so of course we can’t see them from space in satellite images. What is visible is what the beetles can do to a pine forest. The washed-out pink color indicates large areas of standing dead or
Cottonwood Fire, 2016
October 16, 2018, marks the two-year anniversary of the Cottonwood Fire in western South Dakota. The fire consumed a large swath of grassland near the community of Wall and just north of Badlands National Park.
An Introduction to Suomi-NPP NASA VIIRS Data Products
This video provides an introduction to new land data products from the joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellite sensor aboard the Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP). The Suomi-NPP NASA VIIRS data products discussed in the
Beetle Damage in the Black Hills
Mountain pine beetles are about the size of a grain of rice, so of course we can’t see them from space in satellite images. What is visible is what the beetles can do to a pine forest. The washed-out pink color indicates large areas of standing dead or damaged trees.
Image of the Week - Lake Thompson
Many lakes in South Dakota’s Prairie Pothole Region are expanding.
Lake Thompson in eastern South Dakota is one that has displayed remarkable change in recent decades.
Each week, the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center highlights a new satellite image(s) featuring striking changes in the Earth's surface. Our images come from locations
AppEEARS
This short video provides a quick look at the Application for Extracting and Exploring Analysis Ready Samples (AppEEARS). AppEEARS provides a simple and efficient way to subset, transform, and visualize geospatial data distributed from a variety of federal archives. AppEEARS can be accessed by visiting https
Lake Thompson, South Dakota
Many lakes in South Dakota's Prairie Pothole Region are expanding. Lake Thompson in eastern South Dakota is one that has displayed remarkable change in recent decades.
Verification of Reference Elevations at USGS streamgage in SD
Student hydrologic technician Jackie Eldredge holding the rod over one of the known reference points at streamgage 06404998, Grace Coolidge Creek near Game Lodge near Custer, SD. One step in ensuring consistent streamflow data is verifying that the reference elevation at the streamgage stays consistent and that any changes are documented. All of the USGS streamgages have
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Reading Elevation of a Known Reference Point in SD
Hydrologic technician Kammy Durham reading the elevation of a known reference point at streamgage 06404998, Grace Coolidge Creek near Game Lodge near Custer, SD. One step in ensuring consistent streamflow data is verifying that the reference elevation at the streamgage stays consistent and that any changes are documented. All of the USGS streamgages have multiple reference
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Past fireworks displays are the probable cause of elevated concentrations of a contaminant called perchlorate in groundwater and surface water within Mount Rushmore National Memorial, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey report.
South Dakota-based scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey are helping to restore a depleted aquifer and build in-country expertise for managing groundwater in the Ararat Basin of Armenia.
Media and the public are invited to attend a free meeting about South Dakota water issues on Thursday, April 7, in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Increased precipitation is the primary cause of rising streamflow in many eastern South Dakota streams, according to arecent U.S. Geological Survey report.
A newly published, three-volume “Remote Sensing Handbook” is a comprehensive coverage of all remote sensing topics written by over 300 leading global experts.
With the release of new US Topo maps for Illinois and South Dakota, the USGS has completed the second, three-year cycle of revising and updating electronic US Topo quadrangles. This means that since late 2009, the USGS has published nearly every map in the conterminous U.S., twice.
The City of Sioux Falls and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) are conducting a state-of-the-art groundwater survey this fall. Beginning this week, CGG Canada Services, who is under contract with the City, will begin flying a helicopter over the Big Sioux Aquifer to collect, record, and map its geophysical measurements.
The U.S. Geological Survey and NASA will honor their 25-year science partnership and ongoing advancements in land remote sensing at a ceremony in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Thursday.
Three tiny fish larvae that were captured by U.S. Geological Survey scientists in May 2014 have just been confirmed to be pallid sturgeon. These new genetic identifications add to mounting evidence that critically endangered pallid sturgeon spawned successfully in the Lower Missouri River downstream of Gavins Point Dam, South Dakota.
New wind energy facilities placed in prime wildlife habitat in North and South Dakota can influence the distribution of several species of grassland birds for years after construction, including species whose populations are in serious decline.
The drainage of small wetlands can decrease wildlife habitat and may contribute to flooding in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR), according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey study.
Wetland channels constructed in downtown Rapid City, South Dakota, effectively reduced many pollutants in stormwater runoff, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey report.
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Locations
Dakota Water Science Center- Huron Programs Office
Phone: (605) 352-4241
Fax: (605) 352-4304
Dakota Water Science Center- Rapid City
Phone: (605) 394-3200
Fax: (605) 355-4523
Dakota Water Science Center- Pierre Field Office
Phone: (605) 224-8440
Fax: (605) 224-8478
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
custserv@usgs.gov
Phone: 800-252-4547
Yankton, South Dakota Field Research Station
Phone: 605-665-9217