The Rapid City Landfill and the city of Rapid City, South Dakota are being sued by local cattle ranchers for, what they claim, years of pollution and the harmful effects the landfill has had on the nearby cattle ranch.

Ross and Fern Johnson’s, husband-and-wife cattle ranchers, property shares a boarder to land that was acquired by Rapid City in 2002. Since, the Johnson’s have cited several occasions of flooding, toxic runoff, litter, and other environmental hazards that have posed a threat to the Johnson’s cattle ranch.

“We have been pleading with the city and the landfill for years to take some steps to help protect out land, and they have not lifted a finger,” said Fern Johnson. “What’s even worse is that we had an agreement in place to make sure something like this didn’t happen, and the city has not honored that.”

Originally, Ross Johnson’s father owned the land, but sold it to the city with a written agreement that the land would provide a buffer between the landfill and the cattle ranch.

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