Lake Delhi Restoration Project

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Lake Delhi Restoration Project Maquoketa River
Water Quality Team
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Sometimes the Lake is muddy
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And sometimes the Lake is clear
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Maquoketa River Water Quality Team

• In 2000 put a notice in Lake Assn. Newsletter
• Concerned? Attend meeting
• 40 attended
• Began bi-monthly meetings
• Problems/Issues listed
• What could we do

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Identified Needs for Lake Delhi

• Lake not tested by DNR-is the water safe?
• What are the water problems?
• Why is the water green sometimes?
• Why cant we boat in all areas anymore?
• Whose fault is it and what can be done?
• Who can we turn to for help?

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We Needed to Learn First

• IOWATER trained volunteers
• Volunteer shared information with other
  volunteers that havent been trained.
• Ready to collect water quality data
• Formed Teams (at least two IOWATER veterans
  per/team)

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Selected Tributary Sites
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Selected Lake Sites
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Collected Data 2x/Month
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Education Outreach to Lake Delhi Residents

• Turtle Creek Clean Up
• 25 tons of metal, tires, appliances
• 100 people helped
• Raised awareness
• Lake Delhi Festival
• Educational exhibits live entertainment
• Delhi Days Boat Float

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Guide for Living on Lake Delhi

• Wrote a guidebook
• Researched sound environmental information
• Drinking water wells
• Septic system use and maintenance
• Earth Friendly lawn care
• Erosion control on lake property
• Delivered to 900 residences

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www.lakedelhi.com

• Created a website and asked Lake Assn. to
  sponsor.
• Lake Guide is posted on website
• Download free of charge.
• Website is source of information for summer and
  year around residents.
• At this time under utilized by WQT

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Asked for Budget from Lake Delhi Recreation
Assn.

• Mini-grant Program (2,500)
• 500 grants for homeowners to improve their
  shoreline or stop erosion during construction
• Award 5 grants per year
• Septic Pump-Out Program (500)
• 50 rebate for pump out and system inspection
• Award 10 grant per year

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Farmland Soil Erosion Projects Needed -

• Recognized nutrients soil from farming
  activities to fix we needed money.
• Submitted for a Grant
• Iowa DNR Recreation Infrastructure Fund
• 1-1 match requirement
• 2/3 of funds designated for pre-dredge activity
• 1/3 of funds set aside to initiate dredge
  activity
• Grant runs 2000 - 2004

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Set Lake Restoration Project Goals

• Stop or slow down soil eroding from lake
  properties AND from farmland.
• Improve the quality of water in the Lake.
• Encourage conservation farming practices in the
  watershed.
• Educate lake residents to do a better job
  protecting our lake.

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Beyond - We needed HELP!!!Project Partners

• Limestone Bluffs RCD
• USGS
• IWRC (my office at UNI)
• Delaware Co. SWCD
• NRCS
• Farmers in the Watershed

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Knowledge, Guidance, Expertise, and Matching Funds

• Without a source of funds and partners we would
  not have been able to accomplish much beyond
  establishing a Volunteer IOWATER Monitoring
  Program.
• But, with the help of our partners we have used
  some of our grant dollars to stop 3,200 Tons of
  soil from eroding each year!

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Partners

• Maquoketa River Alliance Limestone Bluffs RCD
• guidance and matching funds.
• IWRC _at_ UNI
• staff wrote grant, found partners, negotiated
  agreements and contracts with partners and
  provided overall project oversight.

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Partners

• USGS
• Professional water quality data collection and
  analysis, equipment to set up a gauging station,
  provided water quality expertise, a detailed
  bathymetric study. Source of matching funds.
• Summarized work in a formal report
• Water-Resources Investigation Report 03-4085

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Partners

• NRCS
• Soil erosion control expertise
• Hired a soil erosion control specialist (1/2
  salary paid by grant dollars source of matching
  funds)
• Coordinate erosion control work in Lake Delhi
  watershed.
• Engineered soil erosion control and conservation
  practices (paid in part from grant)
• 3,200 Tons of soil saved -- EACH YEAR

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Partners

• Delaware Co SWCD
• Commissioners designated the Lake a priority
  area for soil erosion work opened the door for
  state and federal farm program funds to be used.
• Farmers in the Watershed
• Willing to work with the NRCS coordinator
• Spent over 60,000 of their own dollars to
  install or adopt conservation practices. Source
  of matching funds

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What Compels Volunteers to Go Above and Beyond?

• Love and respect for the natural world a sense
  of stewardship.
• Good basic understanding of the environment
  through programs such as IOWATER.
• Belief that individuals can make a difference.
• Love of community.
• Support from public and private agencies.
• And a need for recreational opportunity

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