LOWER BRULE, S.D. - Construction on a second U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District project under the Tribal Partnership Program has begun.
The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe North Ecosystem Restoration Project will help mitigate shoreline erosion along Lake Sharpe in Lower Brule, South Dakota. It is being funded through a cost-sharing agreement between USACE and the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, or LBST, under program requirements.
Ice and wave energy have steadily eroded Lake Sharpe’s shoreline since the Fort Randall and Big Bend dams began operating in 1956 and 1966. Prior studies show the shoreline in the project area eroded at about 13 feet per year, resulting in the loss of more than 500 acres.
“It’s taking out a lot of significant land for the Tribe,” said Viktoriia Kozyerinsky, Omaha District lead project manager and plan formulator. “We are just trying to preserve some of the Tribe’s land. It is nothing compared to what they lost, but we can provide some of the features that were important to the Tribe and their culture.”
The first project, completed in 2023 at a cost of $11.6 million, stabilized one mile of shoreline near critical LBST infrastructure. It included a 5,000-foot breakwater structure with a backwater wetland area and the planting of about 2,000 native trees and shrubs to restore riparian habitats. In addition to the restoration features, the project also included a recreation area with a boat ramp, swim beach, and new basketball court.
The current project will stabilize another mile of shoreline north of the first site. Plans include riparian planting benches, a 2,400-foot offshore breakwater, a gravel maintenance road, a 2.1-acre peninsula protected from erosion by a 920-foot L-head dike, and an open-water area with up to 3 feet of depth where cottonwood trees and other culturally significant vegetation will be planted. In total, the project will restore about 61 acres of riparian habitat and 18 acres of wetlands to LBST land.
Contractors worked through the summer on structures designed to protect the shoreline from ice and waves.
“They are currently placing riprap on an L-head breakwater that extends about 1,850 feet into the water,” said Cody Nickolas, Omaha District construction control representative and contracting officer representative. “After that, about 27,000 cubic yards of topsoil will be hauled in to create planting benches.”
Native vegetation, such as cottonwood and willow trees, will be planted as early as next spring by LBST under the agreement.
The design features aim to protect tribal lands and restore natural habitats while providing safe access to the Missouri River, which is critical to the LBST’s cultural, spiritual, medicinal and food needs.
The project is on schedule and the first phase is expected to be complete in spring 2026. A construction contract for the second phase is scheduled to be awarded in December 2025.