Lake Delhi supporters celebrate state funding news

LAKE DELHI - Several people who support the restoration of the Lake Delhi dam said they were happy Saturday after hearing that state lawmakers have reached a deal to pitch in funding.

The agreement calls for the state to put forward $5 million over the next two fiscal years to rebuild the dam, which was breached in July 2010 after heavy rain overwhelmed a section of earthen levee.

The line item still must pass the House and Senate and be signed by Gov. Terry Branstad, but supporters said they are confident it will go through.

“Between ourselves, the county and the state partnering up to put this solution back in, and also local fundraising, we feel so optimistic now,” Steve Leonard, president of the Lake Delhi Combined Recreational Facility and Water Quality District, said Saturday.

Chris Stender, who owns Hartwick Marina at Lake Delhi, said the past two years have been tough. He said his business has been off by half since the dam was breached and his home experienced a 38 percent reduction in value.

Now that state funding appears to be on the way to restore the dam, however, he said he's not going anywhere.

“With this news coming, certainly we're committed - absolutely committed to stay here,” Stender said.

In addition to the state money, Lake Delhi residents approved a $6.1 million bond last November, and Delaware County Supervisors approved $3 million for repairs earlier this year. A private fundraising effort has come up with another $1.7 million in donations and pledges.

Leonard said right now, the expected price tag for dam repairs is about $11.9 million. He estimates another $1 million would be needed to dredge and remove debris from now-dry areas that used to form the lake bed.

Paige Ingram, who was visiting a relative's Lake Delhi summer home Saturday, said she had last seen the lake a week before the dam broke, before moving overseas with her family. She hadn't returned to the area until this weekend, and said it was a shock to see what was left in person.

“You could see where the water levels used to be and where it is now. It's like a battlefield,” she said.

With state funds in place, work on replacing the failed earthen levee with a spillway could start in 2013 and the lake could be restored in the summer or fall of 2013.