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Director Tice: Rapid City may raise Pactola to 'alert' water status as inflows lag
Summary
City water director says Pactola inflows have fallen well below average and recommends moving from 'concern' to 'alert' status, which would extend outdoor-watering restrictions year-round; a press conference is scheduled for next week.
Director Tice told the Rapid City Public Works Committee that Pactola reservoir inflows have dropped sharply and recommended elevating the reservoir from "concern" to "alert" status, a move that would make current outdoor-watering restrictions year-round.
"Current inflow is at 6.4 cubic feet, and current outflow is 69 cubic feet," Director Tice said during the presentation, citing daily data that show inflows at roughly 12.8% of the mean monthly value for August. He said the committee’s operational trigger for alert status includes Pactola falling below 26,950 acre-feet or inflows below 50% of the mean monthly average. Tice said officials are not near the 26,950-acre-feet threshold but that mean inflows are the current trigger.
Tice said the change "doesn't change things drastically for customers in Rapid City other than it extends that beyond the September 30 deadline" and described it as a prudent step given continuing high outflows. He also said the city will hold a press conference next week with more details about what the restrictions would look like.
Council members pressed Tice on operational questions, including why outflows sometimes increase while supply tightens. Tice explained that outflow levels can change almost daily at the Bureau of Reclamation’s request to satisfy downstream water-rights obligations. The committee voted to acknowledge the presentation and directed staff to brief legal and finance committees as requested by members.
