Bad River Sediment

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The Bad River meets the Missouri River near Fort Pierre - Pierre, SD.  It is 110 miles long and begins in Jackson County, South Dakota. The Upper and Lower Bad River Watersheds encompass more than 2 million acres.  The Bad River has an annual sediment load of 3.25 million tons, according to the cleanwater.gov website.  The sediment entering the river system negatively impacts recreation, creates localized flooding, and reduces the power generation capacity at Oahe Dam.  Attempts have been made to address Bad River sediment.  Riparian areas have been restored along with other educational projects.  Some estimate that through improved practices and other projects sediment reaching the Missouri River has dropped 30 percent.