Posted on May 11, 2026
By Parker Brown
MITCHELL, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – In Mitchell, a drawdown and dredging project of Lake Mitchell will go forward. This comes after the state Water Management Board finally approved a variance request.
Cleaning up Lake Mitchell has been a contentious subject in the city. With many ideas floating around about the best use of taxpayer dollars to clean algae blooms and high phosphorus levels, ultimately, the people voted for the dredging project. From there, it was about getting it done, but it in keeping.
“I always think about what the lake’s going to look like once it’s drained because I’ve lived here my whole life. I live very close to the lake,” said Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson.
It’s hard to envision Lake Mitchell drawn down, but Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson can finally envision a clearer timeline for the lake restoration project. The holdup was the dam on Firesteel Creek, and they waited months to get all the approvals needed.
“It’s just one of those many things we needed to check off the boxes for safety, for the state to be in support of the project,” Hanson explained. “Now that we’ve got that blessing and that support with the variance, the project’s going to move forward as originally planned.”
The city will go back to the permitting process, and from there, they will open for bids on the drawdown this fall.
The director of Parks, Recreation & Forestry, Kevin Nelson, said that in the middle of the project, their work in keeping the land the city owns around the lake, which Nelson said is about seventy percent, will not stop. They hope people will still use their parks.
“In fact, we even considered, ‘Are we going to have to spray insecticides like mosquito control further out into what had been lake bottom just to take care of what’s there?’” Nelson said.
There may still be some skepticism around town about whether the project was the best option. Just two years ago, the people voted in favor of the dredge by just thirty votes, and the then-newly elected mayor Hanson was against it.
In the future, they hope to put the arguments behind them and focus on a future with a clean start and clean waters.
“I’ve been one hundred percent on board with what the citizens voted for because that’s what an elected official is supposed to do. Of course, I’m going to put all my energy, focus, and intend on making sure this project comes out as best as it could possibly come out because we’re in this together, and that’s what a community does. We really want to see a beautiful lake at the end of this project,” Hanson said.
“It’s been a long time coming in terms of getting this project going, so we’re so delighted it’s going to happen,” Nelson said.
The design structure for draining the lake is already complete, so after the project is bid out, they can begin soon after.
Hanson said the end goal keeps them motivated to get it done for Mitchell.
