Rapid City airport dumped sewage without permission

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) – An official of Rapid City Regional Airport acknowledges the airport recently dumped sewage without permission from South Dakota regulators.

The airport dumped about 74,100 gallons of sewage on the northern end of its property this past week without permission of the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Airport executive director Patrick Dame said Friday the airport contacted the department before it dumped the sewage but that the agency did not make it clear a permit was necessary. He says the airport has been looking at ways to remove excess wastewater that accumulated in its septic lagoon due to the combination of heavy rain and increased passenger traffic this summer.

A DENR spokesman says the agency is trying to determine if any contamination has occurred.

AP-WF-08-12-19