Drought: Gardening and Landscaping

Water Conservation and Efficiency During Times of Drought

As drought conditions continue to expand across the state this year, more thought is given towards South Dakota’s limited water resources. We live in a state where weather conditions and rain patterns seem to comfortably exist at the extremes; we either have way too much or nearly not enough. While this isn’t always the case, it is important to keep in mind that our water resources are finite and all of us should be thinking about doing what we can to protect them.

Understanding Water Conservation Measures for Lawns and Sports Turf

As of August 29th the city of Sioux Falls has moved from Stage 1 watering, which allowed every other day watering except between the hours of 12 noon and 5 PM, to Stage Two water restrictions; allowing only one day per week watering based upon the last number of the residence address. The watering schedule is determined by the flow of the Big Sioux River as measured by the USGS Monitoring Station located near Dell Rapids, SD.

SDSU Extension’s Approach to the 2017 Drought

Most of the Great Plains, of which Western South Dakota is part of, have always been considered a semi-arid area of the U.S. This region is characterized by hot, relatively short summers, and usually cold, dry winters.