Public input sought for Coralville Lake master plan revisions

CORALVILLE - Officials with the Army Corps of Engineers are seeking public comment on the first revisions to Coralville Lake's Master Plan in almost 40 years.

The lake's comprehensive master plan was created in 1977 and provides guidelines for public use of the roughly 25,000 acres of federal land and water that makes up the Coralville Lake area.

The master plan does not address water control, lake levels or flood risk management, which follow guidelines established in separate documents such as the reservoir regulation plan.

Dee Goldman, Coralville Lake project manager, said the revision process will analyze the use of land surrounding the lake and identify any sensitive areas or endangered species that might be present.

Ultimately, Goldman said he doesn't anticipate any drastic changes.

'I don't think there's any hidden secrets out there and I don't think it would be a huge change. It's just time we look at this,” he said. 'We know some things have changed and we just need to take a step back and see where we're at and where we're going.”

Corps officials are also reviewing the lake's 1981 Shoreline Management Plan and will enact a moratorium on accepting and processing any new shoreline permits or licenses dealing with private use for boat docks, mowing permits or pathways through the rest of the year.

The number of new permits for such uses is minimal, Goldman said.

'We don't get very many of them, the ones that are out there will be allowed to remain,” he said.

Members of the public interested in weighing in on either the master plan or shoreline management plan can fill out online input forms at the lake website, email or mail recommendations to the Corps or participate in upcoming focus group meetings.

The updated master plan is expected to be completed by the fall of 2016.