Belle Fourche Wetland Mitigation Bank
The Belle Fourche Wetland Mitigation Bank is an approximately 40-acre restoration site located in Meade County, South Dakota. Developed and operated by WES, the bank is designed to provide compensatory mitigation for unavoidable impacts to Waters of the United States (WOTUS) under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act within the Bad-Cheyenne-Belle Fourche General Service Area.
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The project area, historically used for cattle grazing and ranching, features an intermittent tributary of Elk Creek and has experienced significant hydrologic and ecological degradation due to decades of agricultural use, impoundment construction, and overgrazing. These activities led to the fragmentation of the stream corridor, disconnection of the floodplain, and loss of wetland and species habitat.
The bank’s restoration plan focuses on re-establishing and rehabilitating prairie wetlands, enhancing upland buffers, and removing obsolete impoundments along the floodplain. Restoration activities include minimal excavation and grading to restore floodplain connectivity, establishment of native vegetation, and targeted removal of invasive species.
The Belle Fourche Wetland Mitigation Bank is designed as a self-sustaining system, relying on natural streamflow, precipitation, and groundwater to support site hydrology. The restored site will provide improved wetland and species habitat for native plants, birds, amphibians, and invertebrates, as well as deliver water quality improvements, flood amelioration, and increased ecological function for the region.
