Smith Lake assessment: consultants recommend dredging, sediment traps and spillway replacement; county share estimated at about $1.05 million
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Summary
Consultant Shai Pattering presented a final 70-page assessment recommending dredging, four sediment-trapping bays, shoreline protection, and spillway replacement for Smith Lake. Estimated total construction cost reported as $4.2 million, leaving a county share of about $1.05 million; the county expects 75% reimbursement from the lake restoration program for construction.
Kendall presented the final technical assessment of Smith Lake to the Kossuth County Board on Dec. 23, outlining a multi-phase restoration plan designed to address sedimentation and poor summer water quality.
The consultant's field sampling found average sediment thickness of about 1.7 feet and a maximum of 5.7 feet in some areas. Existing average depths were listed at 5.7 feet for the main basin and 2.6 feet for the northeast bay; post-dredge target depths would increase the main basin average to about 8.7 feet and the northeast bay to about 3.8 feet. The study recommends a suite of measures, including construction of four earthen ‘‘trap’’ bays placed at inflow points to capture incoming sediment, mechanical dredging, shoreline armoring or flexi-mat stabilization at vulnerable edges, fish-habitat improvements concurrent with drawdown and construction, and replacement of a degraded spillway and culvert.
Kendall told supervisors the county has identified the Wildwood Recreation Area as a county-owned spoil site for dredged material and that no tax dollars have been used to date for the assessment; the county has used conservation reserve funds and refunds to pay earlier phases. The lake restoration program that is partnering on the project has a 3-to-1 funding match, meaning the program would pay roughly 75% of a construction-phase cost and the county would cover roughly 25%. Kendall reported a consultant estimate of $4,200,000 for the construction project, leaving an estimated county share of about $1,050,000; he said 75% of the funds for phase 2 (design and permitting) are already secured and that the board will request a phase-2 appropriation in the upcoming fiscal year.
Board members asked clarifying questions about funding timing and the schedule: phase 2 (design and permitting) was targeted for fiscal 2026–27, with phase 3 (construction) anticipated in fiscal years 2027–29. Supervisors thanked Kendall and asked staff to continue coordination with the lake restoration program and state DNR contacts.