Draft land purchase plan to open for public review

PIERRE, S.D. – Money that the State of South Dakota and the U.S. Department of Interior received as compensation for hazardous substance releases from the Homestake mining operation in the Black Hills may lead to public ownership of some of the most scenic land in Spearfish Canyon.

Governor Mike Rounds has approved the release of a Draft Plan that is the result of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) lawsuit filed against Homestake Mining Company (now Barrick Gold) by the State, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and several federal agencies of the U.S. Department of Interior.

The lawsuit resulted in compensation for environmental damages caused by over 100 years of hazardous substance releases from the Homestake Mine into Whitewood Creek. “We have a fantastic opportunity to invest this money in the future of some of the most beautiful land our State has to offer,” Governor Rounds said. “We are diligently exploring the possibility of purchasing 469 acres in Spearfish Canyon that represents some of the finest and most diverse land and stream habitat in South Dakota.”

Rounds said the land includes Spearfish Falls and Roughlock Falls, as well as three other parcels in Spearfish Canyon.

A Draft Plan to guide restoration of damaged lands was prepared by the Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GFP), Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The Draft Plan lays out several alternatives for compensating the public for the damaged watersheds.  The process of cleaning up hazardous substances could cause additional damage to the environment.  To avoid that, the preferred alternative is not to restore damaged land but purchase and preserve similar undamaged land and keep it in public ownership.

In the settlement, Homestake Mining Company transferred their water right to Little Spearfish Creek to GFP, and the Department has now restored water flow to Spearfish Falls.  Homestake also agreed to pay $4 million in compensation divided between the State, U.S. Department of Interior, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. The State and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have placed their joint monies in the Homestake Mining Company Natural Resources Restoration Fund which must be spent on some form of restoration.

 Governor Rounds has asked GFP to take a lead in developing a proposal for the acquisition of these Spearfish Canyon lands once the Draft Plan has been finalized. “The purchase would place these unique natural resources in the protection of public ownership, where I think most would agree they belong,” Rounds said.

 The Draft Plan is available on the Game, Fish and Parks website at www.state.sd.us