Flooding closes parks, threatens hatchery

Heavy rains have caused the Department of Natural Resources to close the South Lake campground at Backbone State Park and move trout from the Manchester hatchery, due to flooding conditions in the Maquoketa River.

The DNR said it will not accept any reservations for the South Lake campground until July 30. If the river recedes and flooding is no longer a concern, the park could open earlier.

“We notified campers in the night that they should pull out and most heeded the warning. We do not force people to leave and some did decide to stay. They will now likely be there until the water level drops enough to flow through the culvert under the park road,” said Kevin Szcodronski, the DNR's state parks chief.

Spring Branch was within a foot of topping the retaining wall at the Manchester Trout Hatchery on Friday afternoon. After losing 200,000 trout to floodwaters in 2008, hatchery manager Dave Marolf did not want history to repeat itself.

“We loaded 77,000 rainbow trout this morning and shipped them north to Big Spring and Decorah hatcheries. These fish were destined for those facilities later in the month anyway so we just got them there a little early,” Marolf said. “We will now be capable of saving all remaining fingerlings left here at Manchester if a flood becomes imminent.”

George Wyth State Park, in Waterloo, is set to close at 8 p.m. Friday and stay closed until July 30, due to flooding from the Cedar River. The DNR is contacting individuals who have reservations to alert them of the flooding and to either offer refunds or help with other reservations.

In north-central Iowa, the flooding Des Moines River has closed some of the facilities at Dolliver State Park, south of Fort Dodge, the DNR said.

At Lake Rathbun in south-central Iowa, the lake elevation was 926.68 feet as of 9:45 a.m. on Friday, and appears to be at crest. Only a trickle of water is coming over the emergency spillway.

The Appanoose County Sheriff's Office said all boat ramps will be closed through the weekend.

State Parks

Heavy rainfall across northern Iowa has caused the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to close the South Lake campground at Backbone State Park, and move trout from the Manchester hatchery, due to flooding conditions in the Maquoketa River.

The DNR will not accept any reservations for the South Lake campground until July 30. If the river recedes and flooding is no longer a concern, the park could open earlier.

“We notified campers in the night that they should pull out and most heeded the warning. We do not force people to leave and some did decide to stay. They will now likely be there until the water level drops enough to flow through the culvert under the park road,” said Kevin Szcodronski, chief of State Parks for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “We are in the process of calling campers who have a reserved site to let them know the campground is closed.”

The Maquoketa River is within one foot of going over the retaining wall at the Manchester Trout Hatchery and after losing 200,000 trout to flood waters in 2008, hatchery manager Dave Marolf did not want history to repeat itself.

“We loaded 77,000 rainbow trout this morning and shipped them north to Big Spring and Decorah hatcheries. These fish were destined for those facilities later in the month anyway so we just got them there a little early,” Marolf said. “We will now be capable of saving all remaining fingerlings left here at Manchester if a flood becomes immanent.”

While the Maquoketa River is flooding upstream and downstream from Manchester, the Des Moines River is flowing back into Dolliver State Park, south of Fort Dodge.

The road through Dolliver State Park, the campground, family cabins, playground, boat ramp, and the main picnic area are closed. The North Shelter is open and accessible through the north entrance only. The group camp and South Lodge are open and accessible only through the south entrance. Some lowland trails are unusable.

George Wyth State Park, in Waterloo, will close at 8 p.m. Friday, and stay closed until July 30, due to flooding from the Cedar River. The DNR is contacting individuals who have reservations to alert them of the flooding and to either offer refunds or help with other reservations.

Dubuque parks close

Parks in Dubuque are closing through the weekend (July 23rd through July 25th 2010). Portions of Dubuque County received 8 or more inches of rain in a 24 hour period, and with more precipitation in the forecast we are closing our areas for safety of the public as well as a chance to assess the damage and begin clean-up efforts. Parks include: Swiss Valley Park and Campground, New Wine Park, Massey Marina, Mud Lake Park, Finleys Landing, Fillmore Recreation Area, Bankston Park, Heritage Trail, Heritage Pond.

Rathbun Update

At Lake Rathbun, the lake elevation was 926.68 feet as of 9:45 a.m. on Friday, and appears to be at crest. Only a trickle of water is coming over the emergency spillway. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing 3,000 cubic feet per second, which is twice the normal outflow. The Appanoose County Sheriff's Department said all boat ramps will be closed through the weekend. The Sheriff's Department will monitor the lake and open the ramps when conditions allow.

The Rathbun Fish Hatchery is currently dry, but if any significant rain falls in the watershed, that could change. The forecast calls for a chance of rain on Friday, Friday night, and on Saturday.

Honey Creek Resort State Park, including the golf course, is fully functional and conducting business as usual.