The federal government approved a 20-year ban Thursday on new mining-related activity in a portion of South Dakota’s Black Hills. The ban covers 32 square miles of federally owned land located about 20 miles west of Rapid City. The boundaries encompass the Pactola Reservoir and areas upstream that drain into the reservoir via Rapid Creek.

The federal government approved a 20-year ban Thursday on new mining-related activity in a portion of South Dakota’s Black Hills.

This stops drilling and mining for twenty years,” Executive Director for Black Hills Clean Water Alliance Dr. Lilias Jarding said. The order comes after a U.S. Forest Service request in March 2023 in an effort to prevent mining on 20,