Iowa awards $405,000 to protect six public lakes from runoff

DES MOINES — Iowa will spend more than $405,000 to help farmers and landowners keep soil and nutrients from washing into six public lakes, with conservation work planned on private land upstream of the popular recreational waters.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced the $405,265.76 investment on September 15. The funding comes through the state’s Publicly Owned Lakes program, jointly administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Clear Lake and other Northern Iowa lakes are not among the six recipients in this funding announcement.

The money will help pay for terraces, grade stabilization structures, water and sediment control basins, grassed waterways and cover crops. Those practices are intended to reduce erosion, slow runoff and keep sediment and nutrients on the land instead of allowing them to reach lakes and other surface waters.

“Iowa’s lakes are important natural resources that provide recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat and economic benefits to communities across our state,” Naig said.

Where the money is going

The state announced the following allocations and participating Soil and Water Conservation Districts:

• Lake Icaria — $91,350: Adams County Soil and Water Conservation District.
• Three Mile Lake — $90,000: Adair and Union County Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
• Twelve Mile Lake — $102,750: Adair and Union County Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
• West Lake — $34,271.25: Clarke County Soil and Water Conservation District.
• Badger Creek Lake — $32,294.51: Madison and Dallas County Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
• Lake Miami — $54,600: Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Twelve Mile Lake will receive the largest allocation, followed by Lake Icaria and Three Mile Lake.

The funding supports conservation work within each lake’s watershed — the surrounding land that drains toward the water — rather than simply addressing problems once sediment and nutrients have already entered the lake.

Protecting lakes starts upstream

That approach also plays a major role in Northern Iowa. As NIT previously reported, the Welch Lake wetland complex helps protect West Okoboji Lake by filtering runoff from approximately 16 percent of its watershed. The complex’s wetlands allow sediment to settle and reduce nutrients before water reaches the lake.

Other projects address erosion directly along the water’s edge. NIT also reported on plans to stabilize nearly 1,200 feet of shoreline at West Okoboji’s Pilsbury Point following damage from the 2024 floods. Those efforts are separate from the six-lake funding package announced this week.

DNR Director Kayla Lyon said conservation practices on land draining into public lakes are critical to protecting water quality and supporting outdoor recreation.

“Iowans value water quality and want safe, healthy lakes in their pursuit of outdoor recreation,” Lyon said.

The Publicly Owned Lakes program has operated for several decades. Each year, a portion of the agriculture department’s soil conservation cost-share funding is set aside for public lake protection.

Local Soil and Water Conservation Districts submit applications, and the DNR uses those applications to prioritize watersheds above significant public lakes. Farmers and private landowners within selected watersheds can then qualify for additional financial assistance to install conservation practices.