A popular lake in northeast Iowa for boaters, anglers and swimmers is getting state funding to help with dredging and other improvements. Jim Willey, president of the board of directors for the Lake Delhi Recreation Association, says the announcement state funding is coming is very welcome news.
Willey says the money will help keep the lake and its dam operating. The state funding will come in the form of a $100,000, one-time grant. Willey says the association has looked to Delaware County for funding in the past, but has had no luck.
The county hasn’t been able to help with funding the lake, which he says brings in visitors from across the state. Lake Delhi was created in the 1920s with the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Maquoketa River. Lake Delhi was damaged in the record flooding two years ago, but Willey says the area has bounced back.
Lake Delhi has around 900 properties. About 600 people call the lake home, and that number rises to as many as a-thousand on weekends.
By Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester