The Wamasana River

The Wamasana River is a beautiful free-flowing river that surges through Silver County Forest passing through Silver Cliff and forming the Trout Lake before it continues its course toward Vermillion. It is home to thriving aquatic life, and serves as the water source for most of the Forest ’s wildlife. The River currently has recreational uses including swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Small, motorized fishing boats are often seen around the Trout Lake.   

Proposal:

(a) The Forest management will petition the federal government to have the Wamasana River designated as a Wild & Scenic River. The Wild & Scenic designation will prohibit any future dam creation, logging or power line construction along or within the River. In order to qualify for the special protection, the Forest must ensure that the polluted sediment does not pose a threat to the aquatic and human life that comes in contact with it. Therefore, the Forest will immediately begin pollution abatement of the River. All recreational uses of the river will be curtailed until abatement is completed.   

(b) The Forest management will proceed to petition the federal government for the Wild & Scenic designation. In lieu of pollution abatement, the Forest will ban any motorized usage of the River that could potentially cause sediment disturbance. Light recreational uses will continue to be permitted.  

(c) The Forest will continue to permit existing uses of the River and will not advocate for any additional protections, as the River may be a future source of energy for the surrounding communities. They will continue to monitor the level of sediment disturbance caused by existing uses of the River for five years. The Forest will revise River restrictions based upon the study’s findings.