What appear to be hills on the landscape are actually large piles of wood chips left in Spink County by incompleted JRWDD cleanup begun in 1998 at a stated cost of $1,097,524.00.

Under the spotlight of much media attention and public scrutiny regarding funds released from the Oahe Water District to James River Water Development District, the once silent JRWDD issued a press release on Wednesday, February 10.

According to the JRWDD press release, project funding is a priority of the District and it has increased its 2010 budget to provide $1.5 million in project assistance funding. The release goes on to state that they have received inquiries from the Cottonwood Lake Association for shoreline and other repairs, the City of Groton for a sanitary sewer project, the Brown County Commission for levee repair for a levee that was damaged in 1997 and the City of Huron for assistance in water tower funding. The press release also states that the District generally approves project assistance requests that meet the guidelines set up by Chapters 46A-3A to 46A-3A, inclusive of SD Codified law.

This comes about after Commissioners from Spink, Beadle and Hand County requested that the funds collected from tax payers in their counties be returned to the counties for their use instead of the being sent to JRWDD. This also sparked interest by legislators about the increased tax revenue the JRWDD hopes to collect this year from those same taxpayers. Senator Al Novstrup introduced Senate Bill 184 to address the tax issue to the SD Legislative Session. A public meeting with Novstrup, JRWDD and county commissioners was held on February 8 in Aberdeen. At the meeting, Senator Novstrup agreed to amend the proposed legislation after discussion amongst those gathered provided clearer direction.

Still for some in Spink County, follow through by the District is questionable on any project. In 1998 the District spent over a million dollars on debris removal along the banks of the James River in Spink County. At that time, large piles of debris were pulled from the banks and placed on the property of several landowners in Spink County with whom the District had signed contracts stating the project would be completed in three years; the land would be reseeded and restored it to its former condition. At the end of three years work was not completed and property owners still had the large debris piles on their land. At that time the District approached property owners offering them the opportunity to salvage from the debris. One property owner states that she and her husband debated the issue but decided against the District’s offer as they had no use for the wood, did not know where they could dispose of it and the cost of disposal in time and labor. When they contacted the District with their decision they were assured the matter would be taken care of.

That was nine years ago. Today large piles of wood chips and debris still dot the landscape. Repeated contact with Darrell Raschke, Manager of the JRWDD has property owners in Spink County questioning if the work will ever be completed.

Spink County Commissioners who have addressed the issue of debris removal by the JRWDD plan to attend the hearing of Senate Bill 184 before the Taxation Committee in Pierre on Wednesday, February 17 in support of the legislation.

The next meeting of the JRWDD is scheduled for March 18 in Huron. For additional information the JRWDD can be contacted at 605-352-0600.