RAPID CITY, S.D. - The South Dakota Army National Guard will be working on improvements that include grading, installing culverts, and spreading gravel on the newly established routes at Belle Fourche Reservoir August 17-20, 2023. The public is asked to respect the temporary closures associated with the work being done and improvements made.
The 842nd Engineer Company (Spearfish, SD) will be bivouacking in the Gadens Point Loop 6 area of Belle Fourche Reservoir. While on site, the 842nd Engineer Company will be performing road improvements on Gadens Point Loops 6 & 7 roads on the west side of the reservoir. Gadens Point Loops 6 & 7 roads will be closed to public use during road construction activities.
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 in western South Dakota northeast of the Black Hills. Principal structures include a diversion dam, a storage dam, 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