Lake Geode Watershed is a 9900-acre watershed located in Des Moines and Henry Counties. The watershed feeds the 186-acre lake encompassed by 1640 acres of parkland. Park amenities include 186 campsites (96 sites have electricity), multiple trails, open picnic shelters and great fishing.
Lake Geode, like many other Iowa Lakes is experiencing water quality issues that include sediment loading, excess E.coli bacteria levels and high nitrogen levels. The IDNR has identified silt as the number one pollutant in Iowa. It reduces the productivity of the land, clogs stream channel pool and riffle habitat and fills the upper end of lakes reducing their life span, and smothers fish nests lowering recruitment.
In 2000, excessive bacterial levels resulted in the posting of warnings at the beach area advising people of the potential hazards of coming into contact with the water containing high levels of E. coli bacteria. The trend of excessive bacteria has continued from 2000-2004 and has resulted in a dramatic decline of beach usage and as a consequence the loss of the concessionaire. Concerns over these pollutants have led to a decline in user activities, especially beach use.
These issues have led to a local initiative targeted at assessing these water quality issues and identifying potential solutions to address these concerns. In lieu of this the Geode RC&D is assisting in the facilitation and grant development for the project. Des Moines County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in partnership with Henry County SWCD, Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Geode RC&D will submit a Watershed Development Grant requesting funds to complete the inventory and assessment of the area and cultivate local partnerships necessary for project implementation.
The local watershed group consisting of SWCD Commissioners, landowners, producers, Friends of Lake Geode State Park, County Supervisors and Staff will be meeting on a regular basis during this process. If you would like additional information about this project please contact the SWCD’s or Geode RC&D.
Partners: Des Moines and Henry County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Geode RC&D
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