FERGUS FALLS -- Extensive studies and analysis by the South
Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources show that
Big Stone II's use of water from Big Stone Lake will not have an
adverse impact on the Minnesota River, according to Dan Sharp,
communications director with the Big Stone II project. He said
the impact would be "insignificant'' or so small as to be
"almost imperceptible. "It's slight, very slight,'' he said.
Permits would allow Big Stone II to appropriate up to 18,000
acre-feet of water annually from the lake, equivalent to 20
percent of the lake's volume. The power plant would tap the
Veblen aquifer in South Dakota as a backup source when lake
levels are down. Sharp said the 20 percent figure is easily
misunderstood. The water would be taken from the lake through
the course of the year as other sources of water also reach it.
Overall, the lake would be drawn down by an average of 1¾ inch
due to the power plant, according to Sharp. He also charged that
concerns about mercury do not ackn