Posted on January 13, 2025
The application at hand Thursday was at the heart of the June 2024 ballot measure that was approved by Mitchell voters by 30 votes.
PIERRE — Following through on the approval from Mitchell voters in 2024, the city of Mitchell received nearly $17 million in loan money from the South Dakota Board of Water and Natural Resources on Thursday afternoon to go toward its $25 million funding package to dredge Lake Mitchell.
The application at hand was at the heart of the June 2024 ballot measure that was approved by Mitchell voters by 30 votes.
The request for funding from the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program for a 20-year loan for $16,815,900 at an interest rate of 3.5%. The board unanimously approved the loan plan.
“I feel like this project has been a long time coming,” said Mitchell Public Works Director Joe Schroeder, who was available to the board for questions.
The city of Mitchell has pledged sales tax revenue for the repayment of the loan, which is contingent on the city of Mitchell adopting a bond resolution.
The lone question came from board chairman Jerry Soholt, of Sioux Falls, who asked about the progress of riparian buffer work and other projects in the watershed of Lake Mitchell.
Schroeder detailed a number of Firesteel Creek watershed projects, including nonpoint source management work through Clean Water Act Section 319 federal funding and managing riparian areas upstream. He said the city of Mitchell is also working with the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service to gather sponsors for a watershed and flood prevention operations program for the Firesteel watershed.
“We’re feeling good with the progress that we’re making within the watershed,” Schroeder said.
Voters approved the loan application during the primary election on June 4, 2024, by a margin of 2,177 votes in favor to 2,147. It was the second consecutive year Mitchell voters approved a ballot question at the polls to support Lake Mitchell restoration efforts. More than 56% of voters approved a measure in 2023 to sell designated parkland at Lake Mitchell to help fund water-quality improvements.
The funding approved at the state level will go toward addressing the water quality problems related to elevated phosphorous and resulting algae blooms that have degraded the water quality at Lake Mitchell. The plan calls for 2 million cubic yards of phosphorus-laden sediment by lowering the lake water level and conducting mechanical dredging. Traditional earth-moving equipment will dredge the lake and move the sediment to Firesteel Park near the lake and other spoil sites.
The city of Mitchell is expected to bid the project in summer 2025, with the project expected to be completed by the end of 2028. The city has nearly $8.2 million in local funding lined up to contribute toward the lake improvement project.