July 31, 2018
The state of South Dakota has failed to update the water quality permits for one-third of facilities that pump waste into the state's waterways, in some cases being more than a decade behind schedule.
It means that more than 120 cities and companies have been discharging waste water, some since 2005, into rivers and lakes while leaving water pollution largely unchecked, an Argus Leader investigation has determined.
That's also left growing organizations like Smithfield Foods and the Sioux Falls Water Reclamation Facility operating on water quality standards set nearly two decades ago, despite possible changes in their production rates or surrounding aquatic environment.
