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Mocassin Creek also has caused flooding in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Rural ........... Due to high discharge from the Elm River, the James River may flow upstream, spilling into Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Slow drainage caused by silt build-up in small irrigation dams and trapped debris near inadequate bridge and culvert openings result in long periods of flooding in , the Lake Plain area in northern South Dakota. Along this reach from Columbia to near Redfield, 30,000 acres are subject to prolonged flooding. Also along the James, 3,000 acres lie in the flood plain between Turtle and Foster Creeks; from Foster Creek to the mouth of the James, 40,500 acres are flooded in a 10-year flood and 46,000 acres in a 100-year flood. James River tributaries of Crow Creek, Elm River, and Turtle Creek can cause flooding on 45,000 acres, 11,500 acres, and 16,800 acres, respectively. Along the Big Sioux River, 34,800 acres upstream of Sioux'Falls and 25,600 acres downstream of Sioux Falls are subject to flooding. Big Sioux River tributaries of Skunk Creek, Split Rock Creek, and Willow Creek also cause rural flooding problems. Localized rural flooding can occur on many other waterways in the subbasin. FISH AND WILDLIFE Wetland Habitat Farming techniques, especially private irrigation development and cropping of unsuitable land, are causing wetlands to be destroyed throughout the subbasin (2 percent decline in wetlands annually in some portions of North Dakota). This is especially costly in North Dakota and northern South Dakota because the region is very important as a breeding area for migratory waterfowl, especially ducks. Loss of wetlands may also reduce flood storage capability, nutrient retension, and ground water recharge. H-20