Aquifer Restriction - Fully Appropriated Aquifers
The Water Management Board determined that the Tulare East James aquifer (public notice) and Tulare Western Spink Hitchcock aquifer (public notice) are fully appropriated and provided notice of a 30-day period (ended noon Central Standard Time on February 25, 2015) during which the board accepted applications in the event water becomes available in the future.
The combined area of the aquifers cover portions of Spink, Beadle and eastern Hand counties. A map showing the approximate location of both aquifers is available here. Please note that DENR cannot guarantee the presence of the aquifers within the boundaries or the lack of presence outside the boundaries -- reliance on the map is at your discretion.
Complete applications received during the 30-day application period were given a priority ranking by the state Water Management Board through a random selection process established by the board. The priority ranking occurred at the May 2015 Water Management Board meeting.
- Priority ranking list for Tulare Western Spink Hitchcock aquifer
- Priority ranking list for Tulare East James aquifer
If water becomes available at some future date, the priority ranking will be used to determine the order in which applications are processed to place the water to use.
Five-Year Review Information
On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, the Water Management Board conducted the first five-year review of the Tulare East James and Tulare Western Spink Hitchcock aquifers to determine whether any unappropriated water is available for use. The hearing was conducted at 10:30 AM Central Time at the Floyd Matthew Training Center, Joe Foss Building, 523 E. Capitol Avenue, Pierre SD. See map of approximate aquifer boundaries.
- Public Notice for Tulare East James Aquifer Review
- Public Notice for Tulare Western Spink Hitchcock Aquifer Review
- Report on Water Availability from Tulare East James Aquifer
- Report on Water Availability from Tulare Western Spink Hitchcock Aquifer
October 13, 2020. At the Wednesday, October 7, 2020, the Water Management Board concluded at this time no additional water is available for appropriation from either the Tulare East James aquifer or Tulare Western Spink Hitchcock aquifer. Another review no later than five years from now will be conducted by the Board to determine whether any water is available for appropriation at that future date.