Bart Pfankuch

Bart Pfankuch

Title: content director; expertise: agriculture, state government, education, rural issues, Indigenous people, poverty; language spoken: English; contact: 605-937-9398 / bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org

Small SD towns struggle to repair and replace crumbling streets

EMERY, S.D. – It took eight years of planning, nearly $5 million and countless hours of paperwork, but this small town finally has new asphalt streets. Residents of Emery – a Hanson County town of about 450 people and home to a crucial grain elevator – endured failing streets for decades, then

Should South Dakota farmers be forced to improve pollution control methods?

As South Dakota and most other states rely on voluntary efforts by farmers to treat pollution and limit runoff – historically with only limited success – a new regulatory approach in Minnesota is showing that mandating water protection methods can make a significant difference. A 2015 law that is now fully taking

Upgrading wastewater systems a $160M task in South Dakota

Fixing the aging, often overworked systems that treat municipal wastewater in South Dakota would cost nearly $160 million, a cost borne mostly by state residents whose drinking water could be at stake. Officials with the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources said in an email to News Watch that

Rivers at risk: Studies reveal health hazards in Rapid Creek, Big Sioux River

Two separate scientific studies released in the past year reveal serious human health concerns for South Dakota’s four most prominent waterways: Rapid Creek, the Big Sioux, Cheyenne and Missouri rivers. One study showed that Rapid Creek and the Big Sioux River host genetic markers for the most dangerous form

Rivers at risk: State, cities place few limits on farm and urban runoff into rivers

Part of a series of stories examining river quality in South Dakota.

State response to Smithfield ammonia release criticized

Water quality advocates say the state of South Dakota acted prematurely in reporting last week that human health was not at risk from high ammonia releases at the Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources filed limited public notice before the violations stopped and

Rivers at risk: Read about your city’s water pollution concerns

Rivers at risk: Read about your city’s water pollution concerns

Every day, South Dakota’s 20 most populous cities dump 49.2 million gallons of treated human and industrial wastewater into state rivers and creeks. Here is a look at those 20 cities and how they process wastewater, what it costs, recent inspection results, and how much is dumped where.