Casey Lake Restoration Project - UPDATED 4/5/24
Posted:7/24/2023
Black Hawk
If you have visited
Hickory Hills Park lately, you have surely noticed the lake restoration project
that is underway. The project is moving along with the contractor expecting to
have the mechanical dredging completed in late April/early May 2024, weather
permitting. As noted in previous project updates, Casey Lake at Hickory Hills
Park is currently on the State's Impaired Waters List and suffers from
excessive algae growth and sedimentation due to high nutrient levels and soil
erosion. This Lake Restoration project, when complete, will serve to improve
the water quality and aquatic habitat of Casey Lake while also providing
additional and improved recreational opportunities for all visitors whether you
enjoy the lake from the shore or from a boat.
In addition to the lake
draining and dredging work, this project includes: improvements to the existing
wetlands and retention ponds above and around the lake; construction of a stone
terrace and multiple fishing nodes on the lake shore; placement of multiple
fish habitat structures on the lakebed while the lake is drained; jetty and
lakeshore armoring; and in the future, the addition of an ADA compliant fishing
pier and a canoe/kayak launch dock. These types of projects, while necessary to
maintain healthy fisheries, water quality and recreational use of a lake, are
rather unique.
This much needed Lake Restoration project is being
made possible through funding from: the Iowa Department of Natural Resources,
Lake Restoration Cost Share Program, a Black Hawk County Gaming Association
& Isle of Capri Casino/Hotel Grant, a Fish Habitat Grant, a donation from
the Young Family Foundation of Waterloo and Black Hawk County.
