Another issue may be the possible danger that it subjects the operators to during times of use,including the requirement of dam operators using high voltage electrical equipment, at times during the rain, lightning and thunderstorms.

That dam has played an important part in flood control over the years and is getting to the point where more updates and repairs are needed than can be funded by current monies.

Lake Delhi is a 450 acre lake on the Maquoketa River with more than 900 year-around and seasonal dwellings. It is one of primary recreation destinations in northeast Iowa and during the past 17 years has had an increase in tax valuation from $17 million in 1990 to more than $90 million in 2007.

That increase in property value alone makes it a very worthwhile contributor to the county property tax rolls.

The lake residents have done their share in the fight against erosion in and around the lake with the help of a state funded grant.

Through 2007 the following projects have been done in order to stop 3,500 tons of siltation from entering Lake Delhi each year.

* 71,835 feet of grass seeded waterways (91.9 acres)
* 19.4 acres of filter strip
* 5,810 feet of terraces
* 7 acres of wetlands
* 1 livestock watering system (removing that livestocks direct access to the lake)
* 9 grade stabilization structures
* 428 acres of no-till

The LDRA became the owners of the dam and other properties on Lake Delhi in 1973.

Since 1973 the LDRA has actively maintained and improved the dam at a cost of more than one million dollars, they have restored and improved areas on the lake including the Lost Beach. One of the bigger projects was the 2004 and 2005 dredging project that removed 409,485 cubic yards of sediment from Lake Delhi. That equates to some 737,000 tons of material.

That whole project, including the cost of sediment basins, land use, interest, engineering and other support came with a price tag of $2.2 million.

Funding for that project came from voluntary donations by lake residents and local businesses, loans using the sale of the dredged sand as collateral and loans against future incremental tax district revenue from the lake benefited tax district.

To date the LDRA has been able secure some minimal financing from the State of Iowa through grant programs and appropriations.

There are other funding opportunities available from several forms of state avenues, however, the vast majority of those require that there be some county involvement with the project that is being funded.

Currently without any county involvement those funding opportunities are of no assistance to the LDRA and their dilima.

LDRA representatives emphasize that what they are seeking from both the county and the state are just five years of matching funds.

Based on the current $165,000 that the LDRA currently receives the matching fund total over five years would amount to $1,650,000. It is felt that that would be enough to ensure the LDRA’s ability to meet the objectives set out at the beginning of this article.

In their meeting with the Delaware County Board of Supervisors last Monday representatives of the LDRA emphasized that they were asking to the county to match only the monies that the private residents are paying now.

The argument can be made that without the lake the amount of people coming to the area would go down significantly. If people don’t choose to live there any longer property values will decline far below their current values. The amount of money that is generated by the lake residents and visitors each year would also dry up leaving the area with something of diminished value.

That economic impact seems that it would have a much larger impact over the long run than the combined $1.6 million in funding desired over a five year period.

“We think that there is a justifiable reason for both the county and the state to help support the LDRA in their efforts to maintain the dam in order to keep the Lake Delhi area alive and a very viable part of our community, county and state,” concluded LDRA President, Jim Willey.