RAPID CITY, S.D. - The South Dakota Army National Guard will be working at Belle Fourche Reservoir as a part of the annual Golden Coyote Exercise scheduled for June 2-16, 2023.
The 842nd Engineer Company (Spearfish, SD) and the 152nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (Brookings, SD) will be bivouacking in the Fruitdale area on the south side of Belle Fourche Reservoir. While on site, the 842nd Engineer Company will be performing road improvements on 0.5 miles of Gadens Point Loop 7 road on the west side of the reservoir. These improvements include grading, installing culverts, and spreading gravel on the newly established route. Gadens Point Loop 7 road will be closed to public use during road construction activities. The public is asked to respect the temporary closures and remain patient while improvements are made.
Recreational activity has increased substantially at Belle Fourche Reservoir over the past few years, prompting Reclamation and South Dakota Game Fish and Parks to make needed improvements for the public. The 2020 Belle Fourche Reservoir Resource Management Plan laid out improvements and changes to be implemented at the Reservoir. During the RMP public involvement process, the public identified the need for road improvements, improved camping, and the addition of vault toilets. Reclamation and the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks are making those improvements as time and funding allows.
Belle Fourche Project is located in western South Dakota northeast of the Black Hills. Principal structures include a diversion dam, a storage dam, and a system of canals, laterals, and drains to irrigate 57,068 acres in the general area of Newell, Vale, and Nisland, South Dakota, along the valley of the Belle Fourche River. The project is a single-purpose development; however, flood control, fish and wildlife conservation, and recreation benefits are inherently provided.
For more information, please contact Jay Leasure (605) 519-5504.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation