Posted on September 30, 2024
STURGIS — The dredging project of the pond at the Lions Club park in Sturgis started Monday with an estimated six to eight foot of silt and green vegetation being removed.
The Sturgis Lions Club organization approached the city and the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks, and together a project was put together to dredge the pond that is nearly full of silt.
“The pond was mapped and we’re going to remove anywhere from six to eight feet of silt out of the pond,” said Rick Bush, director of Public Works. “It’s at no cost to the city, it’s a cooperative agreement that the city entered into with the GF&P, and our only obligation is, once we get the all of the sediment out of there, and it drains and dries, we have to remove the material.”
The dredging machine on site looks like a large snow blower, grinding up sediment and vegetation and then pushes it through a large hose into a huge bag that holds the silt and the water then drains back into the pond.
Bush said he remembers that years ago, Shorts Construction dredged the pond with a large excavator.
“This project will definitely enhance everybody’s enjoyment of the Lions Club pond,” said Bush. Some fish may not survive the dredging project so there are plans that the pond will likely be restocked.
Tim Brown, of the Sturgis Lions Club said he started conversations with GF&P about two years ago and it is great to see the project start. “The number one value of the project is better fishing opportunities for the kids and people in the community,” said Brown.
