Custer City | Custer County, SD

Located among the Black Hills of western South Dakota, Custer County is the home of Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy Horse Memorial, Jewel Cave National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, and Custer State Park. Forests and dry rangelands cover this remote and beautiful, 1,557-square-mile jurisdiction.

However, severe rainstorms cause sudden flash floods across Custer County (pop. 8,515). French Creek runs parallel to the main street of Custer City, the county seat. In August 2019, the city and county experienced significant flooding resulting in evacuations and damage to critical infrastructure. In September 2023, FEMA designated most of Custer County as a Community Disaster Resilience Zone (CDRZ), reserved for the most at-risk and in-need areas in the country.

FloodWise Community Assistance reached out to Custer County and Custer City in May 2023. FloodWise helped convene city and county staff, the water and sewer district, the highway department, land management agencies, and the local business community and facilitated meetings to define problems and determine goals.

FloodWise hired engineers to conduct a hydrologic and hydraulics study of the French Creek Watershed to identify and prioritize projects to reduce the risk of future flooding to the community. This study also helps support competitive proposals for state and federal grants to fund solutions such as constructed wetlands or floodplains, stream restoration, new culverts, and remodeled infrastructure that will improve hydrological function as well as residents’ safety.

FloodWise staff also helped Custer County prepare the complex grant proposal required to apply for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant program. In 2024, FEMA selected Custer County for a grant of nearly $500,000 to implement projects identified in the FloodWise study.

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