By As temperatures warm, improvement work on Moccasin Creek is naturally coming to an end for the time being, but the city has been asked to craft a plan for the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
DANR wants the city to get a water enhancement or restoration permit for future work.
Excavating cattails and sediment is part of an effort to clear overgrown vegetation from Moccasin Creek. That work began in winter. Hopes are it will improve the look and smell of the creek that runs right through town.
Stu Nelson
As improvements were wrapping up, City Engineer and Public Works Director Stu Nelson said DANR officials contacted the city to investigate a complaint initially sent to the Environmental Protection Agency. Nelson said DANR was looking into the complaint about tracks being left by trucks hauling material from the creek.
He said that was about the time city officials decided work should finish because the ground was starting to thaw.
MORE: City cleaning cattails, sediment from Moccasin Creek to improve look, smell
DANR officials determined city didn’t do anything wrong, Nelson said, but the discussion led to state officials asking the city to create a plan to outline the scope of the work going forward and get a permit.
Improvements continued on and off through February, depending on the weather and available personnel. If temperatures were too warm, for instance, it was difficult to maneuver equipment. If it was too cold, that posed a safety concern for workers. City employees could also be called away to clear streets of snow.
Work last month included the trimming of volunteer trees. Nelson said the tree-trimming was completed by the city’s Forestry Division.
Moccasin Creek is notoriously slow-moving, and the stagnation can lead the creek to both look and smell badly.
The city has approved $1.5 million to make improvements to the waterway over three years.