SDSU receives grant to help lead implementation of new snowpack monitoring system
September 30, 2020
WASHINGTON—South Dakota U.S. Senators Mike Rounds and John Thune and Congressman Dusty Johnson are praising the news that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded major contracts to four universities, including South Dakota State University , to establish a network of stations to monitor snowpack and soil moisture throughout the plains area of the Upper Missouri River Basin.
SDSU will receive a $12.8 million contract. The project is expected to be completed by 2025.
Senator Rounds said, “Following the flooding events of 2011 and 2019, it’s abundantly clear that we need more accurate weather monitoring throughout the Missouri Basin.”
In addition to SDSU, the University of Wyoming, the University of Montana, and North Dakota State University have been chosen to lead the implementation of the snowpack monitoring system. The four universities will receive awards totaling $48.2 million, over the next 5 years, which will enable the construction of 35 monitoring stations in 2021.
