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Smith Lake restoration remains in planning as board reviews cost and funding options
Summary
At the Oct. 13 meeting the Kossuth County Conservation Board reviewed a Shive-Hattery progress update on Smith Lake restoration and discussed sediment removal and funding options; no decisions were made and the project remains in planning.
The Kossuth County Conservation Board reviewed progress on the Smith Lake restoration project at its Oct. 13 meeting but did not make any decisions to authorize work or funding.
Staff and board members discussed a progress update from engineering firm Shive-Hattery that outlined steps for sediment removal and potential strategies to reduce that expense. Board members and staff considered funding options, but Stumme and others emphasized the project is still in the planning stage and that specific funding sources and removal methods are under evaluation.
Separately, staff raised a possible donation of land owned by Don Tietz south of the Kossuth County Fairgrounds (sections 11 and 14 of Cresco Township). Stumme said he had spoken with Conley Nelson, a manager of the area, about public-access and recreational-use concerns; the board took no action on the potential donation during this meeting.
Board members authorized related, smaller actions at the same meeting—such as applying for a DNR fish-habitat grant for jetties at Siems Park and approving a chemical treatment for Smith Lake—but the larger restoration plan remains under study and dependent on further design and funding determinations.
