Will SD dry up?

[Rost]

This is kind-of an off spin of my 81 Pond Landing post in the Eastern Lake forum. I emailed a GFP officer asking about the possibilty of a landing on the 81 ponds. Throughout the email chat, I learned some interesting stuff regarding some of our lakes.

I asked him about a rumor I heard about placing a dam on the south end of Lake Thompson in order to keep the water levels from declining. He confirmed that is was indeed just that...a rumor.

But what he said after that was alarming! He explained that studies show that SD has a water cycle of about 30 years. In short, this means that Thompson, along with many of our other flooded lakes, will "undoubtedly" be duck sloughs again in the future.

I have heard this all before, but it was especially scary to hear it from someone from the GFP! Can you imagine Lake Poinsett being our largest natural lake again?!?!

Sorry this is a kind-of a grim post, but I found it interesting. On the bright side, we can capitalize on the ducks when the time comes!

[greebs]

When you think about it, I think it all makes sense since so many of those holes were just that prior to wet cycles. What I don't understand about Thompson is that the state built a campground at that lake and with the waters receding, I can't imagine it getting much use in the future if this occurs.

[aquafang]

I have no doubt in my mind that Waubay will become what it once was. A couple sloughs. It has already showed by the fishing the past couple years. and after this winter, I am even more convinced. Oh well, I am a bowfisherman and waubay is full of big carp. They wont go any where. It will just confine them to smaller shallower waters!!!

[ifishsd]

If things keep going the way they are Ponisett will be a duck slough in a few more years. If the water doesn't come up this spring at Ponisett it could be very hard to get a boat in at most of the landings this summer. The good thing is they did get some snow up there is winter, so that might help some.

I can't believe the state will let Thompson dry up. They spent millions of dollars on the stste park. People comes from 100's of miles around to fish that lake. Thompson brings in lots of money to local towns. Lets all hope for snow or rain to fill it some this spring.

[Waterbeater]

You guys should have a look at the dams in west river. Shade Hill, Orman, and deerfield are fractions of what they once were. And out here on the prarie, I would guess that of the dams that once were fishable 75% to maybe as high as 90% are dry, not low but dry. We don't have an inch of snow now so the probability of run off is not good. My dad is 60 and said he has never seen it this tough in his life time. But then again it only takes one week of good spring moisture to turn it around in this country. Till that happens I'll be keeping rain in my prayers at night.

[Team Otter]

If that's the case, we have to "get while the getting is good". Boy, it would terrible to see some of these great bodies of water go back into a 'slough-state'.

[vexalicious]

Just look at pake preston. Once held the state record perch, now its nothing more than a big bog that holds lots of snow geese and other waterfowl:) Its just a natural cycle of nature.

[percherman]

If we look back to the 70's, hopefully we are on the tail end of this dry cycle. This would put us on that 30 year mark as some one metioned earlier. A good friend of mine works for gfp and this topic comes up between us often. He speeks to the biologist and they are like the weather man, they really don't know the future of the lakes either. I just hope mother nature has pity on our poor fishin huntin souls, and lets it snow or poor for days.

I remember the days of wading lake thompson for ducks and walking the rushes for pheasants. There is No way the state is going to go back to this and lose all the revenue that this lake alone provides the state. The sportsman organisations will have to step in to make sure that this great resource is not lost. In fact get me a Email address of who I would need to address this with, it couldn't hurt to let them know even the nonresidents are concerned and would contribute to keep this great resource.

[Eyez]

The state doesn't really have much of a choice. I can't remember the number exactly, but evaporation alone from Thompson is somwhere in the area of 36 inches per year. Dam or no dam, if it doesn't rain, it'll dry up.

Some of the waters will take much longer than 30 years to dry up. Waubay and bitter, for example, just because the watershed is so big. Thompson could dry up in as little as 10 years if this dry cycle persists as it has since 2001. I would estimate that Thompson has probably dropped 4 feet since 2001, and another 10 years at this pace and the whole south end will be dry.

However. Another cold winter with 50 inches of snow and good spring rain and some of them will fill right back up to where they were 5 years ago.

There's no predicting the future, and not much chance of fighting nature either, I don't think.

Dusty

[Tyler Holm]

We are having some moisture issues in the state. The Missouri River is the heart of the state and its down 50+ feet, and getting worse.

I really hope things turn around for SoDak.

Let there be WATER

[Eyez]

I've heard that the montana mountain snowpack is good this year, so keep your fingers crossed that the corps doesn't flush it all through for the barges.

[Captain B.R.K]

Not that Tony Dean is a king of no-it-all, but when watching his shows he fishes Lake Sakakawea quite a bit in North Dakota ( I know this is the South Dakota forum) and talks about how the water levels have come down over the years. Heck, even the reports you hear about ramp exposure to shoreline is incredible!

It's happening in ND and it will happen to SD.

Be thankful that mother nature gave the dakots's many years of wet season's to build the fisheries it has now.

[Mike Walerak]

It is almost sad to see the Missourri River in the state that it is in.

I became an expert at backing my boat a hundred yards or more yards down the ramp last summer.

mw

[Valv]

Are we talking of Ft Thompson, lake Sharpe ?

I've heard and saw the situation is tough there but didn't think was going to get this tough.

I talked to my wife, she grew in Mitchell and spent many years on the Missouri with her dad, she couldnt' believe what's going on.

My brother in law is a lineman for the power company and moved from Kimball to MtVernon and he's concerned also.

These are probably my favorite waters to fish.

[percherman]

Growing up in Sd and being a river rat all my life I too have been very disturbed at the situation in the dakotas. I see the river level basically the same all the way from Sioux city to Omaha and it never changes. They are never talking about losing their recreation down here in Omaha and it just isn't right. the boat traffic from Omaha to Sioux city on a busy day wouldn't be close to Chamberlain on a busy day. I could go on and on and i am sure all of you could, the corp of eng. needs to wake upAnd deal with the real issues vs a old shipping water level order. Seeing it from this side of the fence and reading about things in the paper down here has really turned me against people down river and the corp. They are going to ruin one of the greatest fisheries not to mention wildlife areas in the nation if they don't find a solution or happy medium.

Sorry I got into that and started going off. Its a sore subject with me as you can tell.

Lets just all pray for alot of snow in montana and alot of rain this spring. And maybe the knobs on the flood gates will rust shut and the missouri will fill up again HA HA.

[Valv]

Quote:

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Lets just all pray for alot of snow in montana and alot of rain this spring. And maybe the knobs on the flood gates will rust shut and the missouri will fill up again HA HA.

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Ditto !!!!!

[rundrave]

percherman, I was just at the ATV park this weekend down in council bluffs, we rode down to the river side of the park, to check out the river and I have never seen it so low, it just gets lower and lower.

We used to see a couple boats on the sand flats parked right along shore in the sand. Now you cant even get anywhere close to shore its dropped so much, its just a bunch of rocks.

I agree though, doesnt seem to be a lot of boat traffic down that way.