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For Immediate Release: Tuesday, April 2, 2019
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Brian Walsh, (605) 773-3296
FOR PROJECT DETAILS: Visit https://denr.sd.gov/data.aspx
DENR Unveils New Interactive Water Quality Database Map
PIERRE, S.D. – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) launched a new interactive database map providing the public internet access to water quality data for South Dakota’s lakes and streams.
The Water Quality Monitoring Access Portal map provides water quality data collected during the past 50 years from DENR’s Statewide Water Quality Monitoring Network, intensive water quality monitoring surveys, Total Maximum Daily Load assessments, regional lake surveys, and citizen monitoring. Altogether, the Water Quality map contains data for 3,593 water quality-monitoring stations and includes results for more than 140,000 water chemistry samples, 2,500 algae samples, and 8,400 fish flesh samples. If all of this data were collected today, it would cost about $20 million just in laboratory costs alone. In addition, the portal provides easy one-stop access to 234 Total Maximum Daily Load reports and 175 water quality documents.
“Governor Noem supports transparency in state government,” said DENR Secretary Steve Pirner. “Following her philosophy, the new Water Quality Monitoring Access Portal map is another online product to make DENR more open and expand our e-government services.”
The Water Quality Monitoring map allows the public to search DENR’s water quality database 24-hours a day, seven days a week. With this addition, DENR’s GIS Interactive Map Dashboard now includes the following 14 searchable maps allowing the public access to thousands of environmental data records across South Dakota:
- Water Quality Monitoring Access Portal
- Sand, Gravel, and Construction Aggregate Mining Database
- Dry Draw Locations
- Spills Reports
- Tanks Database Viewer
- Regulated Air Quality Facilities
- Recycling Facilities
- Waterbodies Eligible Under the Buffer Bill
- Big Sioux River Flood Information System
- Water Well Completion Reports
- Oil and Gas Resources
- Permitted Solid Waste Facilities
- Observation Wells
- Measured Lakes
The interactive maps can be accessed by selecting “Data & Mapping” on DENR’s homepage at https://denr.sd.gov/ under the “One-Stop Shops” heading.
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