From DesMoinesRegister.com
Delhi, Ia. - Gov. Chet Culver vowed Sunday to restore Lake Delhi, a treasured summer retreat that drained away in less than a day this weekend.
The nine-mile-long lake all but disappeared after sudden floodwaters breached its 92-year-old dam Saturday morning. Residents fear millions of dollars in property values also washed away, because about 900 vacation homes and cottages lost their lakefront status.
“It just makes your jaw drop,” said Irv Janey, a Marion resident who owns a condominium there. “The lake’s gone.”
The dam is owned by the local homeowners association, and state officials said the lake’s sole purpose was recreation. The Department of Natural Resources said if the homeowners decide to rebuild the dam, it would have to meet modern design requirements.
“We would hold them to a higher standard so this couldn’t happen again,” said Jon Garton, a dam safety engineer for the department.
Garton said that despite the dam’s age, it had been well-maintained. A 2009 state inspection found a few minor problems, but nothing that could have caused its failure, he said.
On Saturday, “there was just more water than it was designed for,” he said.
Culver traveled here Sunday to reassure residents that he would do what he could to help restore what they’d lost.
“This is a real landmark, and I think it’s in Iowans’ best interests to save this lake,” Culver said, standing in muddy work boots.
Members of the Lake Delhi Recreation Association, which owns the dam and pays for upkeep of the lake, pleaded with Culver for assistance.
“This is beyond our capacity to take care of ourselves,” said association President Jim Willey.
The lake has several public boat landings and two public beaches.
