A couple of Iowa state parks will be closed this holiday weekend because of flooding and the Department of Natural Resources has posted warnings about high bacteria levels at 14 state park beaches. Kevin Szcodronski, chief of the D.N.R.’s parks bureau, says the parks are in good shape considering the record rainfall the state received in June.
One of the more popular state parks, George Wyth (with) in Waterloo/Cedar Falls, reopened on Thursday. “The water didn’t come up nearly as high as we’d anticipated and it receded quickly, so we were able to get that entirely reopened,” Szcodronski said.
The D.N.R. is honoring reservations that were made for this weekend at the George Wyth campgrounds. One state park that’s closed is located along the swollen Raccoon River – Walnut Woods, south of Des Moines. The Wilson Island State Recreational Area near Council Bluffs is also closed from flooding along the Missouri River.
Some state parks are open but have major attractions blocked off because of high waters. Those include Dolliver Memorial State Park near Fort Dodge and Ledges State Park in Boone County. More than one-third of the 38 state park beaches will have signs warning of high bacteria levels in the water.
The warnings are posted at Backbone, Beed’s Lake, Rock Creek, Big Creek, Blue Lake, Brushy Creek, Gull Point, Lake Ahquabi, Lake Keomah, Lake of Three Fires, Prairie Rose, Springbrook, Union Grove, and Viking Lake.
Find out more about flood-related closings here: www.iowadnr.gov/parks/construction/weather.html