Lake Park, Iowa — Plans are in the works to improve Silver Lake at Lake Park. And some of it concerns improving a two-county drainage ditch in Osceola and Dickinson Counties.
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Rick Hopper of Jacobson-Westergard Engineering tells us their firm has been retained to find out what needs to be done. He says the main problem has been sedimentation getting into the lake from Joint Drainage District DO-1. He says the sediment has phosphorus in it, which contributes to the algae growth in the lake. Plus, over the decades, Hopper says it has also been filling in the lake. He says studies were done, which showed that there was significant erosion from the ditch.
Hopper says that some in-stream improvements have been suggested, and they’re considering options. Dickinson County Engineer Dan Eckert says it’s a long-standing problem and a number of remedies have been considered, including two-stage ditches, straightening the ditch, building retention ponds, and more.
There is a joint meeting of the Osceola and Dickinson County Boards of Supervisors scheduled for this Monday morning at the Lake Park Community Center. Hopper says the meeting is to decide on the next steps to take.
He says the State is interested in wetlands and sediment basins, but those in charge also have to take care of the ditch, which he says has some slopes that are vertical, which tends to create serious erosion. Hopper says he believes the final solution will involve a number of considerations and options.
