Frequently Asked Questions

The purchase of all burial sites in riverside cemetery is handled at the office located at the cemetery. Burial sites are $500 per space except for the area known as baby land where the purchase price is $100 dollars per lot. Cemetery staff are available to assist with the purchase of a burial site Monday - Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

There are three different charges for openings and closings of a burial site, interment of a baby $100, internment of cremations $250 and all others $500. Also. there is a $500 weekend and holiday fee. All openings and closings plus weekend and holiday fees are subject to 6.2 percent sales tax. Burials on holidays are highly discouraged.

• In immediate danger or a life-threatening situation
• Reporting a crime-in-progress
• Reporting a fire
• In need of an ambulance

• What is your emergency?
• What is the location of the emergency?
• What number you are calling from?
• What is the problem?

Don’t hang up. Stay on the line and answer the questions asked by the dispatcher. It is our procedure to send an officer anytime someone dials 911.

• $50 or more in damage
• An injury or possible injury
• A fatality

Current road conditions can be obtained by calling 511. You can also obtain current road conditions by going to SafeTravel USA’s website.

We can not accept any freon containing equipment unless the freon has been properly removed. Contact a local business that sells refrigerators, freezers or air conditioning units for more information on freon removal.

Mid-Dakota's water system does not produce enough water to meet the needs of the Pierre.  Expanding Mid-Dakota's production capacity would cost more than the the Drinking Water Treatment Facility.

Mid-Dakota's water system does not produce enough water to meet the needs of the Pierre.  Expanding Mid-Dakota's production capacity would cost more than the proposed Water Treatment Plant.

Pierre's current system provides water that meets all current federal and state drinking water safety standards.  

The federal Environment Protection Agency is currently reviewing its regulations. Changes to their regulations may impact Pierre's treatment process, but no regulatory changes have been identified at this time.

Pierre's Drinking Water Treatment Facility is expected to be complete and operational in 2022.

Chlorine is added to the water for disinfection.  Fluoride is added to help reduce tooth decay.
A phosphate chemical is added to inhibit water discoloration and inhibit corrosion.

The current average concentrations of manganese in Pierre’s current water supply is 2.5 milligrams/liter.  The treated water provided by the Drinking Water Treatment Facility will have concentrations of manganese less than 0.05 milligrams/liter.  

 About one acre

Estimates indicate residential users would pay $0.0023 more per gallon.

The increase depends directly on the amount of water used by the customer. If a commercial account uses a lot of water, its cost will be higher than that of an individual who uses a smaller quantity. Estimates indicate a Drinking Water Treatment Facility will add an average of $1 a day to a typical residential municipal water account. The rate increases are used to pay back a 30-year loan used to build the facility, as well as ongoing maintenance and operation costs.

Water rates include a base charge and a volumetric charge (charge per unit of water used).  Based on a customer using 6,000 gallons per month (8 ccf) the new single family monthly cost would be approximately $51 per month.  For the same volume of water used, Mid-Dakota’s residential cost (2018) would be approximately $69 per month.  

Since Mni Wiconi provides water to consecutive rural water systems and does not provide water to individual customers, Mni Wiconi does not have published comparable residential rates.

If the Drinking Water Treatment Facility is not realized, the City will need to invest between $2 and $3 million, to construct new wells and update existing wells.

The treatment process will remove iron and manganese from the treated water. Here's what that means for you.

• The treated water will no longer stain sidewalks, appliances, fixtures, etc.
• The hardness of the water will be reduced by about 30%; this will decrease the need for home softener salt.
• It will lessen the mineral taste some people notice in Pierre's current drinking water.

Yes. The Drinking Water Treatment Facility will remove the minerals from Pierre's water that currently differentiate Pierre's water from the water produced by the Mid-Dakota or Mni Wiconi systems.

All three systems supply drinking water that meets required federal and state drinking water standards.  Pierre's water contains manganese that causes brown staining; water produced by Mid-Dakota and Mni Wiconi does not contain manganese. Additionally, the concentrations of calcium and magnesium are approximately 30% higher in Pierre's water supply than in the water produced by Mid-Dakota and Mni Wiconi, making Pierre's water harder than the water supplied by the other systems.

Yes. The treatment process will remove the minerals from the water that can cause water discoloration.

Over the past few decades, the well water quality has deteriorated, exhibiting increasing concentrations of minerals, hardness, and sulfate.  This deteriorating water quality trend is likely to continue as the wells age.  

Pierre’s water contains manganese and iron that forms dark deposits when it evaporates. 

Yes. The treatment process would remove the minerals that cause staining.

No. Conversely, treated water tends to have fewer negative impacts on plumbing fixtures.

The City of Pierre has a standard claim form that can be used for your convenience. The form must be filed with the Finance Officer, located at 2301 Patron Parkway, Pierre SD 57501.

You can access the form here or pick one up in person at the Business Office at City Hall or you may call (605)773-7407 or request a form at finance@ci.pierre.sd.us

Per SDCL 3-21-3, a person has 180 days to file written notice of their potential claim.

If the notice statute has expired since the incident occurred, more than likely your claim will be denied for failure to file timely notice/failure to comply with the notice statute.

When pursuing a claim, you should include a copy of any law enforcement investigative reports, appraisals of the property damage, estimates, or any other documentation that you intend to use to support your claim for damages. Claims can be turned in without the information and notice should not be delayed due to not having all of the documentation you wish to present.

It is each party’s responsibility to allow a reasonable amount of time for inspection of property which is asserted to have been damaged due to another. However, there is also a duty to mitigate damages relative to any incident. The answer to this question varies and should be addressed with the claims adjuster assigned to investigate your claim.

Once a claim is filed, it is submitted to the City’s Insurance Carrier and an adjuster is assigned. The assigned adjuster will investigate each claim received and make a liability determination based upon the facts and evidence presented.

If you have additional information which you feel will change or alter the adjuster’s determination, you can present the same to the adjuster. You also have the option at any time to utilize your own insurance. You may proceed with challenging your claim via small claims or circuit court as is appropriate.

The total project cost, including the earthwork, the engineering, and testing, is expected to be close to $20-million.

 A private fundraising initiative is underway to raise $3 million for the project. The remainder will be paid with existing City revenue.

 Yes.  Increased staff needed for a larger facility will increase operational costs. However, estimates indicate that the attraction will also generate greater attendance leading to additional revenue.

• Lazy River
• Multipurpose Pool
  • Eight 50-meter lap lanes
  • One-meter diving tower
  • Three-meter diving tower
• Recreational Pool
  • Double Flume Waterslide
  • Drop slide
  • Floatable play structure
  • Shade structures
  • Water Platform
  • Waterwalk
  • Zero-depth (easy access - shallow play area)
  • Zipline
• New bathhouse with concession area
• New mechanical building

The old outdoor pool had 7,915 sq. ft. of water surface area. 

The new complex will have  more than 19,000 sq. ft. of water surface area.

Yes. The plan calls for a heated shallow water pool and a heated multipurpose pool.

The project design includes contains eight 50-meter lanes.

Yes

The City of Pierre

Fees will be established by the City at a later date.

The project has a design life of 50 years.

No.  The pool is schedule to open after the opening of the water treatment facility. The new drinking water treatment process will remove the high mineral content that exists in our current water supply.

The new pool will be located in Griffin Park at the same spot as the old outdoor pool.

Pool construction is slated to start in 2022; the new facility is scheduled to be complete in the fall of  2023.

With support from pool consultant, Burbach Aquatics, the design was developed by an Outdoor Pool Committee appointed by Mayor Harding.

The Pool Committee members are Becky Burke, Mike Mueller, Rachel Arbach; Heather DeBoer; Paula Huizenga; Kelsey McQuistion; Becky Spoehr; Paula Weeldreyer.

Burbach Aquatics, Inc. began business in 1978 and has been providing municipalities with professional design and consulting services for more than 40 years. The company has designed more than 600 new pools including the pools in Beresford and Vermillion.

Yes

No, this is a City of Pierre project. 

The City of Pierre will begin distributing water from the new treatment facility the first week in December 2023. The transition from well water to treated water is expected to be complete by January 2023.  

Normal customer water usage will help remove the well water from the system. Also, the Pierre Water Department will flush water from hydrants; this will help remove well water from pipes and storage tanks.  

Flushing will primarily be from hydrants near the reservoirs.

There will be a transition period when well and treated water are comingled at your tap.

Arrival of new water at your tap depends on the rate of water usage, intensity of flushing and exchange of water in the storage tanks. The farther your house is from the water treatment plant, the longer it will take for the treated water to reach your house.  Residences close to the water plant may receive treated water within a day of when treated water pumping begins. Residences farther from the water plant may receive treated water within a couple of weeks after pumping begins. 

Flushing the system during the transition may cause temporary discoloration as deposits and residues are removed from the system.   Although the discolored water is safe for drinking, clear discolored water from your plumbing by running cold water until the water runs clear.  

Those living on a cul-de-sac or dead end line are more likely to see discoloration.

Treated river water will contain lower concentrations of iron and manganese so that the water will no longer stain sidewalks, appliances, fixtures, etc.   The hardness of the water will be approximately 15 grains per gallon, about 30 percent lower than the well water, depending on which well serves water to your neighborhood.  The dissolved mineral content will be lower by approximately 30 percent.  Although the well water has chloramine residual disinfectant, the concentration varies throughout the City.  The treated water will have a more consistent chloramine residual concentration, in the range of 2 to 3 mg/L.

Yes.  Chloramines have been used safely in the U.S. and Canada for many years, including in Pierre’s water supply.  Chloramines are approved for water disinfection by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Chloramines kill disease-causing organisms that could be found in drinking water. 

The Pierre Water Department Staff will continue to sample and analyze treated water quality at the Pierre Water Treatment Plant and in the water distribution system to meet the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. 

The treated water will contain a more consistent (and perhaps slightly higher) concentration of chloramine (chlorine and ammonia) disinfectant residual than the well water, so aquarium owners should use the same dechlorinating techniques but perhaps adjust the dosage to accommodate the more consistent residual.   However, the new water pH (8.0 to 8.2) will be slightly higher than the current water pH (7.4 to 7.6), so pH adjustment may be necessary.

The new water supply will have a lower iron and manganese content, which means there is less potential for brown/black sediment being created in the system after the transition is complete. The new water source contains less hardness, so customers with water softeners can adjust their softener setting to use less salt for regenerating the softener. The new water also contains lower total dissolved solids, which means less spotting on dishes, faucets, fixtures, and shower doors when the water evaporates.

Yes.  However, the treated water will contain less hardness than the well water.   Since the new water contains lower hardness, changing the softener settings for the lower hardness (15 grains per gallon) will enable your softener to operate at its best efficiency, and use less salt than it did when softening the well water.  Also, since the manganese and iron concentrations will be near zero, you should not need to use salt that contains “iron out”, “iron fighter” or “rust defense”. 

Minimal customer impact is anticipated with this round of flushing. If you do notice water discoloration, run water unti it runs clear.

Four hydrants located near the reservoirs will be used for the majority of the transitional flushing.  This compares to 252 hydrants used during the 2021 flushing program. Hydrants at dead ends will also be flushed, similar to maintenance flushes typically seen each summer. 

Water heaters are not designed specific to water source therefore no adjustment is needed.

If you want to flush well water from your water heater, pleae consult your water heater's owner manual.

If you have additional questions about the water transition, contact Water Superintendent Dane Brewer at 605.773.7448 during normal business hours.