This article is about the river in South Dakota and Wyoming. For the Indian Reservation, see Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. For a North Dakota river with the same pronunciation, see Sheyenne River.
The Cheyenne River (Lakota: Wakpá Wašté; "Good River"[2]), also written Chyone,[3] referring to the Cheyenne people who once lived there,[4] is a tributary of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. It is approximately 295 miles (475 km) long and drains an area of 24,240 square miles (62,800 km2).[5] About 60% of the drainage basin is in South Dakota and almost all of the remainder is in Wyoming.[6]
The Belle Fourche River is the largest tributary of the Cheyenne. Rapid, Sulphur, Plum, Cherry, and Owl Creeks are important other tributaries of the Belle Fourche-Cheyenne. Snowmelt from the Black Hills provides the major source of river water. Because of the proximity to the Black Hills and its mining industry, the Cheyenne historically picked up large quantities of zinc, arsenic, and cyanide. Those pollutants are no longer a major threat due to water quality regulations. The Cheyenne River is still higher in dissolved mineral content than any other South Dakota major river.[6]
Cheyenne Watershed
The Cheyenne watershed is part of the Missouri River watershed and spans the Mountain West and Great Plains states of northeastern Wyoming, southwestern and south central South Dakota, as well as small areas of northwestern Nebraska, and southeastern Montana.[7] As of 2001, the Cheyenne watershed was primarily grassland (62.8%), followed by shrubland (16.3%) and forest cover (11.9%).[7] The primary population centers include Rapid City, South Dakota and Gillette, Wyoming.[7]
With a population of nearly 4.5 million in these states,[8] water use was an average of 5,254 million US gallons per day (19,890 million litres per day) in 2010.[9] This amounts to approximately 1,170 US gallons (4,400 L) per person per day. A total of 1,855 thousand acre-feet (604 billion US gallons; 2,288 billion litres) are stored in 9 lakes and reservoirs in the Cheyenne watershed.[10]
Sedimentation is a major water quality concern for the Cheyenne watershed, potentially resulting in reduced storage capacity for reservoirs. Major water issues in the Cheyenne, reflect those of the larger Missouri River basin and stem from anticipated effects from a warming climate.[11]
Industrial use
Demand for water from agriculture for irrigation, greater threats to viable habitat for endangered species and wildlife are large concerns directly related to increasing temperatures and evapotranspiration. Water companies are also concerned about "water delivery" in response to shifting runoff periods. Similarly, power companies are concerned about climate effects on hydropower generation.[11]
As of November 2019, TC Energy was applying for permits in the state to tap the Cheyenne River to use water for the construction of Phase 4 of the Keystone pipeline, including camp construction to house transient construction workers.[12]
^Ullrich, Jan, ed. (2011). New Lakota Dictionary (2nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Lakota Language Consortium. pp. 607, 626, 883. ISBN978-0-9761082-9-0. LCCN2008922508.
^Marshall, Thomas Maitland, ed. (1923). The life and papers of Frederick Bates. St Louis MO: Missouri Historical Society. vol 1, p 203 - 1807 Hunting Licenses Granted July 6 Primo and Bessonett On the Chyone
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-11-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Cheyenne River Phase I TMDL Assessment
^ abHogan, Edward Patrick; Fouberg, Erin Hogan (2001). The Geography of South Dakota (Third ed.). Sioux Falls, SD: The Center for Western Studies – Augustana College. ISBN0-931170-79-6.
