South Dakota ranchers and residents scramble for water as wells run dry
Shallow wells across western South Dakota are drying up, forcing ranchers like Gordon and Connie Howie to rely on costly bottled water and public water stations.
Several consecutive years of limited snowfall and rainfall, combined with higher summer temperatures, have caused shallow wells in the Black Hills region to run slow or dry out completely. Ranchers like Gordon and Connie Howie, who raise 150 Texas longhorn cattle near Rapid City, now depend on bottled water and a public-access water station where they paid $17 to fill a 1,300-gallon tank. Self-serve water vending machines in towns including Black Hawk, Deadwood, Piedmont, Rapid City, Spearfish and Sturgis are experiencing heavy demand, with long queues at the only remaining bulk-water spigot in Rapid City.
Local water haulers such as Frontier Water are operating multiple trucks to deliver up to 2,500 gallons per load to households and ranches, primarily for drinking and livestock. While deeper regional aquifers still provide some supply, many smaller, shallow aquifers are showing significant declines, raising concerns about long-term water availability for the growing population.
Why it matters
The drought threatens essential water supplies for households and livestock across a large rural region.
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