Lake Delhi task force plans four public forums

MARION – “This is not a private lake,” the president of the lake Delhi Recreation Association told Gov. Chet Culver's task force on restoring the Delaware County lake that was devastated by flooding last month,

That restoration “is not simply a local issue,” added James Larew, the governor's representative on the panel that is meeting in Marion this morning (Aug. 27).

At the panel's first meeting, the task force said it plans to have four public input meetings. They are tentatively scheduled Sept. 10 and Oct. 27 at Maquoketa Valley High School, and Oct. 8 and Nov. 29 at either Monticello or Manchester.

The panel heard a history of the nine-mile lake that was created by a hydroelectric dam constructed in the 1920. The recreation association took ownership of the dam after electric generation was terminated more than 30 years ago.

However, Willey emphasized that the lake has never been private. As a result of state court ruling, the lake has been supported with private funds for public use, he said. Over time, the lake has become home to about 600 permanent residents, but the population swells to as many as 5,000 on summer weekends. The 450-acre lake is popular with boaters, skiers, snowmobilers and fishers.

“It's an awesome place,” Willey said. “Or it was” before 12 to 15 inches of rainfall fell across the Maquoketa River watershed that caused the lake to overtop the earth-over-concrete portion of the dam. Once the dam was breached, the lake dropped by 10 feet in about an hour, the Department of Natural Resources told the panel.

Damage in Delaware County from the flooding has been estimated at $35 million, but David Miller, Iowa Homeland Security Emergency Management Division administrator, said he expects that to grow to $150 million as damage assessments are completed. One of the thresholds for a presidential disaster declaration is damage in a county equal or greater than $3.23 per person. In Delaware County, the preliminary assessments are $86.11 per capita.

As panel members introduced themselves, it was clear that their perspectives were formed, in part, by whether they represented areas above the dam, on the lake or below the dam.

Hopkinton Mayor Pro Tem D.J. Hucker hoped the panel would recommend a flood management plan “better than what we have.” He quizzed presenters about the operation of the dam and how decisions about the release of water were made.

Monticello City Administrator Doug Herman hoped to get answers to the growing number of rumors in his community about the flood and what caused it.

“There are a lot of questions about the cause of the damage and whether the Delhi dam had a role in it,” Herman said.

Support for restoration was expressed by several panel members.

“W want to restore the infrastructure and bring the lake back to one of the pristine areas of northeast Iowa,” said James “Buzz” Graham, a trustee of the combined Lake Delhi Recreation and Water Quality District.

Delaware County Board Chairman Jeff Madlom also called for “putting the county and the lake are back like it was.”

A task force discussing strategies for the recovery and rebuilding of the Lake Delhi, incuding a dam that was breached during flooding last month, is planning four public meetings in September, October and November to gather input on the future of the area.

The Lake Delhi Recover & Rebuild Task Force is meeting in Marion this morning to begin work on a report to be delivered to Gov. Chet Culver, who established the panel, before Dec. 1.

Public input meetings are scheduled Sept. 10 and Oct.  27 at Maquoketa Valley High School, Oct. 8 and Nov. 29 at either Monitcello or Manchester.