PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says deploying the National Guard was among the options for responding to the floodwaters that consumed several South Dakota communities.

“We did down in Union County, when I was down there, I believe on Sunday, have a discussion about National Guard, and they were talking about security resources that they needed,” Noem said.

“So, after that discussion we decided to, it would be more appropriate to bring law enforcement in who had the authority to actually, they were concerned about people going into homes that were unsafe and not being able to stop them. Maybe looters and people that would be vandalizing some of these homes that did not have families in them any longer, and [they] realized that the authority that a law enforcement officer and highway patrol officer would have would be much more appropriate than a National Guard soldier.”

The National Guard wasn’t dispatched. Now, Noem’s previous decision to send the guard to the U.S. border with Mexico has received attention.

Dan Santella: Is there an inconsistency in sending the guard to the border but not to Union County?

“No, it’s a completely different situation, and I would say that people that have time to criticize should instead get off their keyboards and go help their neighbors,” Noem said. “Go help people in South Dakota get through this situation. People have lost their homes, and to politicize it is completely inappropriate.”

With this decision, Noem emphasizes a precise mission.

“The National Guard, when they are deployed, they have to have a mission,” Noem said. “And in sitting there with the community, having the discussion on if it was appropriate to use the National Guard or not, they decided not to make a request because they did not have a mission for them to complete.”

With floodwaters leaving many homes unlivable, there’s no shortage of people needing support. Asked how well-wishers can help the people who were hit so hard, Noem highlights a local office.

“I think always work with your county emergency management director,” she said. “They know where the needs are, and they’re helping to coordinate that.”

If you’ve had flood damage, you can report that on the state’s website.

Full interview with Gov. Noem, June 28, 2024:

The South Dakota Department of Ag and Natural Resources is allocating $175 million in federal grants.

The American Rescue Plan Act money is going toward grants for drinking water, wastewater system improvements and the state’s riparian buffer initiative. The department is awarding $105 million in grants to nearly thirty water districts and rural water systems to improve drinking water across the state.

Another $65 million is going toward almost 20 cities and sanitary districts for waste and stormwater projects.

The department is investing $5,000,000 into riparian buffer grants. A riparian zone is a conservation practice that encourages vegetation growth along the edges of rivers, stream and lakes to help improve water quality.

The full list of approved grants:

• Aurora-Brule Rural Water received an additional $846,775 ARPA grant to install a new parallel water main, a new water storage reservoir, multiple loops within the system, a booster station, and make distribution line improvements. Previous funding for this project was awarded in April 2022
• BDM Rural Water System received an additional $1,738,345 ARPA grant to construct a new water treatment plant, install a water reservoir, install pipe to expand the water system and loop lines for added redundancy, and replace water meters. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Black Hawk Water User District received an additional $254,340 ARPA grant to install a new water main crossing I-90 near Exit 52. The existing crossing is undersized and not operating effectively. Previous funding was awarded in June 2022.
• Brookings received an additional $8,000,000 ARPA grant to construct a new lime softening water treatment facility along 34th Avenue. The new treatment plant will require the installation of raw and finished water lines to feed into the distribution system and includes the construction of six new municipal wells and a new transmission main. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Brookings-Deuel Rural Water System received an additional $1,357,708 ARPA grant to construct water main to interconnect the system’s two primary water sources, the Joint Well Field, and the Clear Lake Water Treatment Plant. The project will also include installation of a new water main to the Lake Cochrane service area to improve low pressures around the lake during periods of peak water use. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Clay Rural Water System received an additional $2,488,710 ARPA grant to construct two ground storage reservoirs near the existing Greenfield reservoir and the Wakonda Water Treatment plant. A new booster station at the Greenfield reservoir and distribution line improvements to provide additional capacity and accommodate a Highway 46 construction project is also included. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Davison Rural Water System received an additional $189,255 ARPA grant to install a water line to parallel and loop existing mains and make upgrades to its automatic meter reading technology. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Fall River Water User District received an additional $1,400,007.62 ARPA grant to install a submersible pump and finish piping at the existing Fairburn well, construct a pump station and well house, a control building/pump station, a ground storage reservoir at the well site, pipeline to connect the Fairburn well to the existing distribution system in two locations, and a ground storage reservoir along the new pipeline route. Previous funding was awarded in June 2022.
• Grant-Roberts Rural Water System received an additional $1,023,690 ARPA grant to add transmission capacity allowing the system’s two reservoirs to fill during high water use periods. Additional pipeline looping and parallels will be completed to distribute water to existing and new customers and improve the reliability of the water system. The project also includes installation new pipeline and other appurtenances to allow the town of Corona to access the Grant-Roberts Rural Water System. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Hanson Rural Water System received an additional $548,388 ARPA grant to install water lines to parallel and loop of existing mains and make upgrades to its automatic meter reading technology. Previous funding was awarded April 2022.
• Joint Well Field, Inc. received an additional $1,440,459 ARPA grant to construct a new gravity filtration water treatment plant including aeration, detention, filtration, transfer pumping, raw water supply wells, and generation equipment. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Kingbrook Rural Water System received an additional $4,972,298 ARPA to upgrade the Badger pump station, DeSmet water treatment plant, Chester water treatment plan, Oakwood pump station, and the Orland pump station. The project also involves construction of an elevated tank near Arlington and booster pump station near Bryant, and relocation and resizing of pipeline segments along Highway 25 north of DeSmet. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Lead-Deadwood Sanitary District received an additional $339,623 ARPA grant to abandon the Hanna raw water transmission pipeline and install new ductile iron or steel pipe. Both low- and high-pressure lines will be re-routed to bypass the Englewood power generation facility, and a portable backup power generator will be purchased for use at multiple locations. Previous funding was awarded in June 2022.
• Lead-Deadwood Sanitary District also received an additional $136,662 ARPA grant to make improvements to the wastewater treatment plant serving Lead, Deadwood, Central City, and other unincorporated areas. Improvements include replacement of five aeration blowers, installation of fine bubble diffusers and aeration piping, and installation of a blower control system. Previous funding was awarded In June 2022.
• Lewis & Clark Regional Water System received an additional $5,000,000 ARPA grant to construct two solids contact units, a sludge thickener, three lime sludge drying beds, and a three million gallon clear well and high service pump station to increase the treatment plant capacity. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Lincoln County Rural Water System received an additional $571,211 ARPA grant to install transmission improvements to serve newly constructed residences. The project will install approximately 16.5 miles of pipeline and includes looping of dead-end lines. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Mid-Dakota Rural Water System received an additional $6,830,882 ARPA grant to update the existing water system by installing an advanced metering infrastructure system, paralleling of pipe, addition of a new backwash recovery system, and additional membrane capacity. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Mni Wašté Water Company received an additional $6,545,503 ARPA grant to install a treated water pipeline, a water tower, and appurtenances including valves, pumps, and air releases. This project replaces the undersized pipeline along Highway 63 and will serve as the main pipeline for the northern tier of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Randall Community Water District received an additional $10,000,000 ARPA grant to address increasing demand among existing customers and supply water to the City of Mitchell. The proposed improvements will provide enough capacity to allow Mitchell to connect its redundant water line to the system. Booster stations, storage facilities, and an upgrade to the Platte Water Treatment Plant are necessary to complete the proposed improvements. Previous funding was awarded in June 2022.
• Rapid City received an additional $8,000,000 to make improvements to its wastewater treatment facility by adding secondary clarifiers and hydraulic improvements which allows the South Plant to assume all inflow while meeting permit limits. This project would also decommission the North Plant. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Shared Resources received an additional $10,000,000 ARPA grant for a treatment plant, well field, distribution pipeline, and two storage tanks. Shared Resources is a joint effort between Minnehaha Community Water Corporation and the Big Sioux Community Water System. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Sioux Falls received an additional $8,000,000 ARPA grant to make substantial improvements throughout the city’s wastewater reclamation facility and to expand the plant capacity to accommodate growth in the region. Previous funding was awarded in May 2022.
• Sioux Rural Water System received an additional $765,583 ARPA to construct a new elevated tank in the southwest part of the system and two segments of pipeline to increase pressure and capacity. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• South Lincoln Rural Water System received an additional $2,444,355 ARPA grant to make system wide improvements including installing an elevated water tank, a new pump station, and a new water treatment plant. This project addresses capacity issues in portions of the distribution system and increasing demands within the existing service area. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Southern Black Hills Water System received an additional $542,432 ARPA grant to extend the existing water system main from the two wells at Paramount Point Subdivision approximately 5 miles northeast to the Spring Creek Acres Subdivision to provide redundancy. The project will also construct a new well, booster pump station, new elevated storage reservoir, chlorination and SCADA systems, and new pressure reducing valve stations. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• TM Rural Water District received an additional $1,272,908 ARPA grant to install four miles of parallel 12-inch water main to address low water pressure situations during high water demand periods. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• Tripp County Water User District received an additional $2,034,121 ARPA grant to replace two storage tanks, to parallel and loop water lines to increase the water pressure within the system, and to develop a new well field to address water supply issues. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• WEB Water Development Association received an additional $10,500,000 ARPA grant. The funding is part of a much larger project to increase water capacity for WEB and to provide a bulk water connection for Aberdeen and BDM Rural Water. The project is known as the Water Investment in Northern South Dakota or WINS project, undertaken by all three entities with WEB acting as the lead contracting entity at this time. Previous funding was awarded in June 2023.
• Western Dakota Regional Water System received an additional $2,165,000 ARPA grant for a feasibility study to explore the use of its Missouri River water to supply a large portion of western South Dakota with a bulk water transmission line conveying Missouri River water to various communities, tribes, and water systems. The current funding will be used to hire an engineering firm to complete facilities plan and preliminary design for the project. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.
• West River/Lyman-Jones Rural Water System received an additional $602,702 ARPA grant to install PVC water mains serving areas in Mellette, Haakon, and Lyman counties. A new ground storage tank and necessary electrical controls would also be installed in Pennington County. Previous funding was awarded in April 2022.

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — Black Hills Redemption, an event inspired by Rockstar Games’ “Red Dead” series, took place over the weekend in Deadwood, South Dakota. This rootin’ tootin’ time transformed Outlaw Square into a campsite for the Van Der Linde gang where thousands of fans attended. This immersive experience follows last year’s wildly successful Tombstone Redemption, which was held in none other than Tombstone, Arizona.

Twenty of the actors for the franchise made an appearance for a panel this year in Lead’s historic opera house and an autograph session above Saloon No. 10 – including Roger Clark, who played Arthur Morgan; Rob Wiethoff, who played John Marston; and even Robert Bogue, who played Red Harlow in the original “Red Dead Revolver” game released in 2004.

The Redemption convention also included acts from hoop dance extraordinaire Starr Chief Eagle, gun spinning from three-time Trick Western Gun handling champion Joey Dillon, historic lectures from UT: Knoxville’s Dr. Tore Olsson and trick-rope and whip cracking from Loop Rawlins, who also appeared as Pedro Pascal’s stunt double in the film “Kingsman: The Golden Circle.”

WesternSlopeNow’s Dalen Brazelton had an opportunity to sit down with Kenney Palkow, promoter and organizer of the event. In an exclusive interview, Palkow told WesternSlopeNow the goal with Black Hills Redemption was to get the younger generation interested in history again.

“The best way to do that is with the best video game on the planet that just so happens to be a western. Using this game (Red Dead Redemption 2) as a medium, we turn an entire city into a place on the map. It gives these kids a playground where they can feel at home, feel comfortable around their own kind,” Palkow explains.

“It was a wonderful experience to be a part of building something and I’m looking forward to doing it every year.”

Where are they planning to go next year? Nothing is confirmed yet, but one possible location is recreating the fictional town of Saint Denis in New Orleans.

For more information on next year’s event, follow the event on Instagram.