Effort fences off ag areas along Sioux Falls creek

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The stretch of the Big Sioux River that flows through Sioux Falls should be safe for swimming, without fear that diving below the surface would require a visit to a hospital emergency room and a course of antibiotics.

This is called immersion recreation, and it is the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources goal for the river, based on standards established in the federal Clean Water Act.

The DENR also has set a lesser goal for Skunk Creek to become a stream suitable for fishing and limited contact, such as wading.

Skunk Creek, though, provides most of the rivers flow through the city in summer, because much of the Big Sioux upstream is directed to the flood-control diversion channel.

Sioux Falls recently completed extensive recreational and public entertainment improvements to the River Greenway through downtown, and planning has begun for the third phase of that project, Mayor Mike Huether said. It is an effort to enhance the Big Sioux as a valued amenity, and if the river ever does reach the immersion recreation standard, its value to the community will skyrocket, said Teri Schmidt, executive director of the Sioux Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau.

That would be just another plus about Sioux Falls and the river and the Falls Park area, she said. People love water, and a lot of people that travel are looking for areas with water that they can enjoy for recreational activities. One of those is being able to put your foot in it.

If it ever became the case where it was completely safe for people to swim and we started marketing that, I have a feeling there would be people excited about it.

While the citys major use of the river is for drinking water, Huether said, its recreational potential is inviting.

The goal is to make it look good, second, to be able to float on top of it in canoes and kayaks. But wouldnt it be wonderful if we could actually tube down that river and swim in that river? he asked.

But for that to happen, Skunk Creek needs to change.

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Effort fences off ag areas along Sioux Falls creek