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Muck From Black Hills Lakes Being Used To Fix Scars On Land

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — The equivalent of 10,000 dump-truck loads of sediment from four lakes in western South Dakota is being used to fix scars on the land and preserve a meadow in the Black Hills.

The U.S. Forest Service is dredging Horsethief, Lakota and Bismarck lakes along the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway in the southern Black Hills. Rapid City also is dredging Canyon Lake.

All four are manmade, created by dams on creeks. The silt that flows in has nowhere to go. Removing the excess sediment improves water quality and fish habitat.

The Rapid City Journal reports ( ) the muck removed from the scenic byway lakes is being used to fill old gravel pits and restore a meadow. The sediment from Canyon Lake will be used to reclaim sites mined for cement production.

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Information from: Rapid City Journal,