Hunter
09/05/23
The Friends of Coralville Lake are preparing to launch a fundraising campaign in 2024 to sustain the lake as a place for recreational opportunities.
The Gazette reports that the lake, created in 1958, is slowly filling with silt and sand. That doesn’t stop the lake from holding water in times of heavy rain, but reduces boating and can affect water quality.
One boater told the newspaper when he bought his first boat back in the 1980s, the water at Scales Pointe Marina on the lake was 9 feet deep. Now it’s just 3 feet from the top of the water to the soil beneath.
The Friends group received a grant from the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to pay for a feasibility study using American Rescue Plan Act money. Cedar Rapids firm Amperage determined that area residents really understand the value of the lake, not only for boating, fishing and swimming, but the economic impact of surrounding marinas and restaurants.
The lake is kept at a constant level except in the cases of heavy rain. Then, the Corps of Engineers lets the water rise. After storms pass, the excess water is released into the Iowa River.
Dredging the lake to remove the silt is an option, but longer-term ideas include buffer strips of sediment traps.
The Friends of Coralville Lake is a nonprofit group and are seeking more members. Their website is friendsofcoralvillelake.org.