Title 46, WATER RIGHTS

If the Water Management Board determines, based upon the evidence presented at the hearing, that the applicable requirements for the permit, license, or amendment have been met, it shall approve the permit, license, or amendment. If the board determines that the requirements have…

If the board determines a groundwater source to be fully appropriated pursuant to § 46-6-3.1 , the chief engineer shall publish a notice within thirty days of the board's final decision at least once in at least one official newspaper in each county where the groundwater source i…

The date of receipt affixed to any application submitted pursuant to § 46-2A-7.1 shall be the date of the thirtieth day of the thirty day application period. An incomplete application will be returned to the applicant with notification of the deficiencies. The applicant has thirt…

Any application submitted prior to the board's decision that an aquifer is fully appropriated pursuant to § 46-6-3.1 or prior to July 1, 2014, is not eligible to be included in the process established by §§ 46-2A-7.1 to 46-2A-7.7 , inclusive, and shall be considered by the board …

From the list of complete applications submitted pursuant to § 46-2A-7.1 and assigned a common priority date, the board shall create a priority list using a random selection process to be determined by the board. The priority list determines the order of eligibility for any unapp…

For any groundwater source determined to be fully appropriated pursuant to § 46-6-3.1 , the board shall hold a public hearing to review the groundwater source, all permits appropriating water from that source, and all held applications at least once every five years to determine …

If the board determines that unappropriated water has become available from a fully appropriated groundwater source during the five-year review under § 46-2A-7.5 , the board shall make the unappropriated water available to the applications being held by the chief engineer based o…

No water permit application approved by the board pursuant to § 46-2A-7.6 may be transferred until the water has been placed to beneficial use as specified in the permit. For a permit to irrigate, no transfer of water or acreage may be approved for an amount of water or acres gre…

Any construction necessary to put the water to beneficial use shall be completed within five years of approval of the permit and the water shall be put to beneficial use within an additional four years. The Water Management Board may, in its discretion, approve any application fo…

The Water Management Board may reinstate any water permit with a priority date after March 31, 1977, if unappropriated water is available and construction necessary to put water to beneficial use was not completed pursuant to § 46-2A-8 or 46-5-26 . Any application under this sect…

A permit to appropriate water may only be issued if there is reasonable probability that unappropriated water is available for the applicant's proposed use, the proposed diversion can be developed without unlawful impairment of existing domestic water uses and water rights, the p…

Upon compliance with § 46-4-3 , any person who has or holds any possession, right or title to any agricultural lands may construct a dam across a dry - draw without obtaining a permit to appropriate water unless the dam will impound more than twenty - five acre feet of water. Any…

Any person owning land through which any nonnavigable stream passes may construct and maintain a dam across the nonnavigable stream if the course of the water is not changed, vested rights are not interfered with and no land flooded other than that belonging to the owner of the d…

For the uses stated in this chapter, upper users have first priority for domestic use except that it is unlawful for an upper owner to build new works that would deprive a lower owner of water which has been regularly approved under this chapter. Any contest between upper and low…

Any person desiring to take advantage of any of the rights provided in this chapter shall file a location notice with the register of deeds of the county in which the right is located and shall mail a copy of the notice to the Water Management Board. Source: SDC 1939, § 61.0133; …

The location notice required under the provisions of § 46-4-3 shall contain the following information: (1) The name and address of the landowner and of the locator; (2) The date of the notice; (3) The legal description of the land upon which the dam is to be located; (4) The tota…

The right of any person to continue the use of water from any dry-draw is a vested right, to the extent it is not abandoned or forfeited and: (1) The water had actually been applied to a beneficial use on March 18, 1957, or within three years immediately before that date to the e…

Any person appropriating the waters of any dry - draw or watercourse within this state, within sixty days after the filing of the notice provided for in §§ 46-4-3 and 46-4-4 , shall begin the construction of the dam mentioned in § 46-4-1 for the storage or diversion of the waters…

No landowner may prevent the natural flow of a stream, or of a natural spring from where it starts its definite course, or of a natural spring arising on his or her land which flows into and constitutes a part of the water supply of a natural stream, nor pursue nor pollute any of…

No person may obstruct the free navigation of any navigable watercourse within this state. No person, except under lawful authority to do so, may intentionally obstruct, tamper with, or interfere with the stage, level, or flow of the public waters of this state by any means, incl…

No person owning land through which a watercourse passes may prohibit the removal of obstructions built by beavers in the watercourse, if the beavers have obstructed or interfered with the flow of water through the watercourse in a manner that floods land belonging to others or i…

Any person intending to acquire a right to beneficial use of water shall, before starting construction or placement of works for that purpose or before taking the water from any constructed works, make an application to the Water Management Board for a permit to appropriate water…

Water Management Board rules shall, in addition to providing the form and manner of preparing and presenting an application, require the applicant to state the amount of water, periods of annual use, and all other data necessary for proper description and limitation of the right …

A permit may allow diversion from a designated source of water from one or more points within an area described in the permit. However total diversion rate and amount may not exceed the rate and amount allowed by the permit. Source: SL 1955, ch 430 , § 1; SL 1957, ch 490 , § 1; S…

The location of a point of diversion may be changed or additional points of diversion may be approved if the new or additional point of diversion is from the same source of water, no additional water is appropriated, and, if the water use is for irrigation, no new land is to be i…

Water turned into any natural or artificial watercourse for means of transport by any person entitled to the use of the water may be reclaimed below and diverted by that person, subject to existing rights, accurate allowance for losses to be made, as approved by the Water Managem…

Natural flow water of any stream appropriated or diverted for municipal use is subject to downstream senior priority water rights. Any contest between water right owners shall be brought to the Water Management Board first for resolution. The board's ruling may be appealed to cir…

Any person owning land through which any nonnavigable stream passes, may construct and maintain a dam across such nonnavigable stream if the course of the water is not changed, vested rights are not interfered with, and no land flooded other than that belonging to the owner of su…

Any application for appropriation of water, pursuant to this chapter, in excess of ten thousand acre feet annually shall be presented by the Water Management Board to the Legislature for approval prior to the board's acting upon the application and all powers of eminent domain sh…

Section 46-2A-8 does not apply to permits issued to the South Dakota Conservancy District for energy industry use or to any permit or right held by an energy industry user acquired pursuant to an assignment by the district. Periods for completion of construction or application of…

The plans of construction or place of diversion may be amended, but no amendment may authorize any extension of time for construction beyond five years from the date of the permit, except as provided by this chapter. A change in the proposed point of diversion of water or change …

The work of construction shall be diligently prosecuted to completion. If one-fifth of the work is not completed within one-half the time allowed, as determined by the Water Management Board, the board may accept and approve an application for the use of any of the waters include…

A permit may be amended by extending the time for the completion of construction, or for application to beneficial use, for a reasonable time, but only on account of delays due to physical or engineering difficulties which could not have been reasonably anticipated, due to operat…

Nothing in § 46-5-1 or 46-5-2 may be construed to prevent the owner of land on which a natural spring arises and which constitutes the source or part of the water supply of a definite stream from acquiring a right to appropriate the flow from the spring as provided by law for app…

Within a reasonable time before the date set for the application of the water to a beneficial use, the chief engineer shall inspect the works, if any, after due notice to the holder of the permit. If the works are not properly and safely constructed, the chief engineer may requir…

Upon completion of an inspection, upon completion of any required changes and upon payment of any applicable fees, the chief engineer shall issue a license to appropriate water to the extent and under the conditions of the actual application of water to beneficial use, but he may…

Neither a permit to appropriate water nor a license to appropriate water may become a right to use the water for any purpose or in any manner other than that specified on the permit or license, unless amended pursuant to the provisions of this title. Source: SL 1983, ch 314 , § 5…

Notice of any sale, grant, lease, conveyance, or other transfer of an application, permit, or license to appropriate water under the provisions of this title shall be filed with the chief engineer within ninety days. Source: SL 1983, ch 314 , § 66; SL 2008, ch 230 , § 1.

Subject to the limitations in §§ 46-5-33 and 46-5-34 governing changes in irrigation rights from one parcel of land to another, any water permit or right holder may apply for a change of use of the water, a change of location of the use or other amendment to the permit or right. …

Acreage developed for irrigation outside of the acreage described on the permit may be licensed pursuant to § 46-5-30.1 , if no increase occurs in either permitted acreage or water appropriated. The unpermitted acreage shall be contiguous to the permitted acreage, owned by the sa…

Any appropriator of water may use the water for purposes other than for which it was appropriated, or may change the place of diversion, storage, or use, in a manner and under conditions approved by the Water Management Board, except that changes in irrigation permits shall be as…

If permitted irrigation use from a storage dam is abandoned or forfeited but the storage dam is used for stock watering, stock watering may be added to the license or permit upon the request of the permit or license holder. A license or permit modified under this section retains …

Subject to the limitations provided in §§ 46-5-33 and 46-5-34 , any application, permit, or license to appropriate water, including a permit issued under § 46-5-8.1 , may be assigned, but no assignment is binding, except upon the parties thereto, unless filed for record with the …

No application, permit, or right to appropriate water for irrigation purposes may be assigned, nor may the ownership of an application, permit, or right in any manner be transferred, apart from the land to which it is appurtenant, except in the manner provided by law. A transfer …

All water used in this state for irrigation purposes shall remain appurtenant to the land upon which it is used. However, if for any reason it should become impracticable to use all or any part of the water beneficially or economically for irrigation of any land to which the righ…

The provisions of §§ 46-5-33 and 46-5-34 notwithstanding, irrigation rights may be transferred apart from the land to which they are appurtenant if they are transferred for domestic use or use within a water distribution system. Such irrigation rights may be transferred or leased…