Proposed lake surfaces in Taylor County

On the heels of the Gooseberry Lake project in Ringgold County coming to a standstill, another watershed project is gaining viability.

Dennis Hilger, Southern Iowa Resource Conservation and Development specialist, was in Creston last week to discuss a potential lake creation in Taylor County’s 102 River watershed with Southern Iowa Rural Water Association (SIRWA) Board of Directors.

Made possible through a state 28E agreement between SIRWA and the cities of Bedford and Lenox, a $40 million lake-creation project is being considered in one of five locations.

“I think it’s going to be one of the biggest things to ever happen to Taylor County,” said Hilger.

Location

Although any of the seven lake locations within the watershed are still a possibility for the lake’s construction, talks focused on two specific sites. The locations referred to as MB-1, which is southwest of Lenox and north of Gravity to the east of Highway 148, and MF-1, located northwest of Bedford and south of Gravity to the west of Highway 148, are the clear-cut favorites.

Because the project stems from a January 2007 assessment of SIRWA’s water usage that showed its supply would need to double, to more than 10 million gallons per day, in order to keep up with demands by 2027, SIRWA board members favor the 1,090-acre MB-1’s 2.5 million gallons per day output.

This doesn’t mean the slightly smaller and less productive MF-1 site is being ruled out.

“We’ve never been down to just one lake, and then moved forward with that,” said Dan McIntosh, SIRWA general manager. “We’re not even down to one lake in Clarke County and we’ve been doing that for five or six years. To me, we’re not just going down to one lake right off the bat.”

Lee Little, SIRWA board member representing Taylor County, is concerned Bedford, which is considering operating its own water treatment plant on the proposed lake, may not support the project if the MB-1 site is chose.

“Bedford’s going to want to be in on the deal, they’ve always wanted to be in on the deal,” Hilger said.

Other factors affecting the construction site include avoiding hazards, obstacles and major roadways, keeping the lake to a minimal length, using less earthen fill and the number of homes that would need to be relocated.

Funding

According to Hilger, there are many potential grants and loans that could bring the lake’s construction cost down to about $7.8 million — $4 million from SIRWA and $3.8 million from Bedford and Lenox.

“Now we’re down to where if you want to be a piece of it, you need to put money up,” said McIntosh. “It’s the time right now, before we go any further, for everyone to put their money on the table.”

Hilger said a local option sales tax from Taylor County could be used to repay any loans, and extra revenue could come from selling lake-view lots.

If the MB-1 site is selected, Little believes there is also the potential for funding from Adams County.

“MB-1 is a benefit to Adams County, too, because people coming from the north to this lake will go either through Corning or right next to Corning,” he said. “I don’t think it’d be that hard to get Adams County to help support this lake. There are people in Adams County, if they think something is good, they are going to really push it.”

Other entities that could help fund the project include Taylor County Board of Supervisors, Bedford Water Works, Lenox Municipal Utilities and Bedford American Legion.

Future

While the lake’s construction could be more than a decade away, Hilger is already looking at potential benefits.

“The more I work on this, the more excited I get,” he said. “This could be a great project for the region.”

An added lake in Taylor County would draw people from cities like Omaha, Neb., Kansas City, Mo., and Des Moines for recreational purposes and could generate other business and tax dollars with a location along Highway 148, Hilger explained.

Using figures from a 2007 Iowa State University department of economics’ report, it’s estimated the proposed lake would create 24 jobs and generate about $2 million in yearly revenue.

“Quite frankly, I’m very positive about this project,” said Hilger.