South Dakota
Mines is home to a new living laboratory that is located on a hill above the
main campus. This long-term study will help students and the community
understand how vegetation and ground cover impacts soil erosion, water quality,
ecosystems and our shared natural resources.
The study area is a steep exposure of the Belle
Fourche Shale rock formation that had been a problem area for erosion and contained
little-to-no vegetation. The living laboratory includes over 20 small plots in
a grid that have different erosion control treatments, ranging from engineered
products to low-tech solutions such as hay cover or mulch. Each treatment
option was designed and built by undergraduate student researchers with the
assistance of faculty and instructors. The study is funded by the West Dakota Water Development
District (WDWDD). The elected
board is one of seven water development districts in the state, organized for
the purpose of promoting conservation, development and management of resources.
Each year, students in the Department of
Civil and Environmental Engineering will collect data on the treatments laid out in the
living laboratory. Over the coming years, the data collected by students will
h...