Crystal Lake in North Iowa

[dartsportsteve]

Hopefully they've turned this lake around. Should be fun to see what it will be like in a couple years. Found on the DNR HSOforum:

Crystal Lake (Hancock County)

As projected, the contractor completed the dredging in

the fall 2007. They removed 1.1 million cu./yds. of sediment at a cost of $3.1 million.

Progress and Planned Activities

Now that dredging is complete, renovation of the fish community of Crystal Lake to remove the common carp population will occur in the fall of 2008. IDNR estimates the cost of this portion of the project at $250,000. During the flood year of 1993, carp invaded the lake from the outlet creek while stream flow was extremely high. We also have a contract for $29,000 to modify the small lake outlet structure and prevent future introductions of undesirable fish species after renovation.

Anticipated Benefits

This small community and the surrounding rural area is an excellent example of a locally driven project that will benefit from lake improvement. Following restoration improved fishing opportunities alone could add nearly $400,000 annually to the local economy. In addition

improved water quality will benefit other water-based recreation. The combination of the watershed and lake improvement work will remove Crystal Lake from the Impaired Waters List and add to the estimated $2.5 million spent annually by lake visitors.

According to Jim Wahl IDNR Fisheries Biologist, the 10-acre sediment/multi-purpose pond constructed in 2007 above the lake in the Northeast corner of the watershed created additional recreational benefits. The pond reduces sediment delivery to the lake by an estimated 18% and phosphorus by 16%. The pond is now deep enough to support a sport fishery and IDNR has stocked it with largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish, which now provide substantial angling opportunities.