Missouri Basin and Arkansas-Rio Grande-Texas Gulf Regions – Dakotas Area Office

Public Notice: Heart Butte Dam

The Bureau of Reclamation is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the funding and construction of a Safety of Dams Modification Project for Heart Butte Dam.

Reclamation is the lead Federal agency responsible for ensuring compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and related federal environmental and cultural resource legislation. Reclamation will use this EA to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with construction of the project.

Reclamation has performed a Corrective Action Study to evaluate alternatives to ensure the continued safe condition of the dam. The selected design alternative includes conduit joint repair, a seepage cutoff system, and a seepage blanket filtration system constructed at the downstream toe of the dam. Construction is expected to require up to two years and a reduction of Lake Tschida to the minimum water elevation of 2,030 feet. The reduction in reservoir elevation is necessary to reduce the water table in the vicinity of the project and to reduce the potential for uncontrolled spillway flow during the construction period.

We are requesting your input about the proposed action and information or concerns you may have regarding potential project effects. If no significant issues are identified during scoping or preparation of the EA, Reclamation would issue a Finding of No Significant Impact. Conversely, if any significant issues are identified, Reclamation would consider whether to proceed with the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement. The Draft EA will be available for review and comment in fall 2024, and, if no significant impacts are identified, construction is expected to begin in 2027.

Please respond with any comments, concerns, or information regarding this project by June 17, 2024. Questions or comments regarding the preparation of the EA may be directed to Ashley Persinger, Supervisory Natural Resource Specialist at (701) 221-1282 or at apersinger@usbr.gov, or in writing to:

Bureau of Reclamation, Area Manager
304 East Broadway Avenue
Bismarck, North Dakota 58501

Additional Documents:

• Heart Butte Dam Notice to the Public
• Heart Butte Dam map

Public Notice: Belle Fourche Reservoir

The Bureau of Reclamation plans will implement several administrative changes at Belle Fourche Reservoir (BFR) in 2024. First, Reclamation will restrict public vehicular access on two small segments of administrative roadways at BFR as a part of management actions identified in the 2020 Belle Fourche Reservoir Resource Management Plan (RMP). The areas to be restricted to administrative use only will include the north end of Belle Fouche Dam and across the emergency spillway between Bird Island View Road and CCC Point. Both segments were identified for closure to public access due to public health and safety issues. These issues were identified during the 2020 RMP.

In preparation for these closures, Reclamation made vehicle parking and access road improvements to the Bird Island View and CCC Point areas as identified in the 2020 RMP to enhance shore fishing access and improve road access to camping areas. Reclamation will continue improving roads and shore fishing access in the Fruitdale area beginning in 2024 with the assistance of the South Dakota Army National Guard.

Starting this fall, Reclamation will also designate a Special Use Area for Belle Fourche Reservoir to convert the Inlet Canal, Fruitdale Area and the CCC Point areas to day-use only areas as identified in the 2020 RMP. Prior to this designation change Reclamation improved road access at camping areas on the east side of the reservoir and at Gadens Point to accommodate additional campers.

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, shore fishing access, 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.

Belle Fourche Reservoir map

For more information, please contact Jay Leasure (605) 519-5504 or at jleasure@usbr.gov.

Finding of No Significant Impact for Fort Berthold Rural Water System

Reclamation has completed a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) on the final programmatic environmental assessment for the Phase III of Water Infrastructure Projects within Fort Berthold Rural Water System, Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

No significant issues were identified during initial public scoping or through the release of the draft environment assessment; therefore, Reclamation has signed the FONSI and will proceed with Reclamation’s preferred alternative.

A draft programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) was prepared for the proposed Project and made available for a 30-day comment period in November 2023. A final PEA was completed on January 16, 2024, and a FONSI was signed on January 22, 2024.

Hardcopies of the FONSI and final PEA may be obtained by calling Ashley Persinger, Supervisory Natural Resource Specialist, at 701-221-1282 or by requesting in writing from Area Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, P.O. Box 1017, Bismarck, North Dakota, 58502. A copy of the FONSI and final PEA are located below:

• Final PEA and FONSI
• Letter to Public
• Appendix D

Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment Fort Berthold Rural Water System Projects

• Appendix A - FBRWS Phase III Project Descriptions
• Appendix B - FBRWS Phase III Routine O&M Activities
• Appendix C - FWS Buffers and Mitigations
• Appendix E - Scoping Comments
• Appendix F - FBRWS Biological and Natural Resources Checklist
• Draft EA FBIR Phase III
• FBIR Programmatic EA Draft Public Notice Letter

Resource Management Plans

• Belle Fourche Resource Management Plan Environmental Assessment
• Belle Fourche Reservoir RMP
• Heart Butte Final RMP
• Heart Butte RMP Map

Market Rent Surveys

• Angostura Market Rent Survey (2.64MB)
• Dickinson Market Rent Survey (4.90MB)
• Heart Butte Market Rent Survey (3.91MB)
• Jamestown Market Rent Survey (3.61MB)
• Keyhole Market Rent Survey (3.54MB)
• Shadehill Market Rent Survey (2.46MB)