(Arnolds Park)– The Dickinson County Water Quality Commission has awarded $200,000 in funding for various water quality improvement projects.
The commission took the action at its meeting Wednesday evening in Arnolds Park.
Among the projects awarded funding is a project to fight aquatic invasive species in the Iowa Great Lakes. The Okoboji Protective Association was awarded $17,469 to hire part-time staff to monitor boat ramps and inspect boats and educate boaters.
Ducks Unlimited will receive $30,000 for the Hottes and Marble Lakes Watershed Improvement projects; and the Iowa Geological and Water Survey will receive $11,635 for a shallow groundwater investigation that will identify recharge locations for springs that feed the Iowa Great Lakes.
The East Okoboji Lake Improvement Association was awarded $33,000 for a bio cell project on 9th Street in Spirit Lake; the Silver Lake Improvement Association will get $3,000 for a water monitoring project; and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation will receive $75,544 to purchase property within the Iowa Great Lakes Watershed to restore wetlands and native prairie.
The combined projects had a total match of $999,000 in funds.
The Dickinson County Water Quality Commission has approved 1.7 million dollars in various water quality projects since its inception. Private, state and federal agencies have provided a total of 17 million dollars in matching funds.
