Friends of Beeds Lake Push for Improved Water Quality

One thing was clear by the end of the Dec. 2nd Friends of Beeds Lake meeting at Center One: there is a high interest in turning things around at Beeds Lake State Park. 

Prior to the regular meeting, the board had invited members of the DNR staff to have a

discussion with the public on the water quality of the lake. The Iowa DNR spoke about the current condition of the water quality as well as other ways they can boost the public space. 

According to the DNR reps, the water is currently impaired with high levels of indicator bacteria (e. coli), turbidity (poor water transparency) and algal growth (chlorophyll a.). The TMDL, Total Maximum Daily Load, was last calculated at the lake in 2008, according to DNR reps, but locals at the meeting said a more recent study had been completed, which the reps said they would look into after the meeting. (A “TMDL” at a lake is a calculation that determines the maximum amount of a specific pollutant a lake can receive without violating water quality standards.) 

There’s also excess algae and sediment suspended in the water column, which contributes to the poor water clarity. DNR reps stated that high indicator bacteria (e. coli) levels have continued at the beach, especially after large amounts of rainfall, and that the position of the beach was a part of the problem. The DNR said moving the current location of the beach may be a possibility to improve bacteria levels, if the public feels that might be a benefit to park users.  

Another issue that was discussed was the fact that the lake has lost so much volume over the last few decades, especially in the area west of the causeway, which acts as a natural barrier to slow down water and allow sediments to settle out of the water column before reaching the eastern portion of the lake. A question-and-answer session followed with locals asking about the possibilities of draining or dredging the lake. The DNR responded that dredging the area west of the causeway could cost in excess of $3 million. 

Michelle Balmer, who oversees lake restoration and water quality improvement for Iowa DNR, said if the Friends of Beeds Lake group would be interested in working on projects like moving the beach or adding a kayak lift, the DNR could give them ideas for how to do that, as they’d seen other Friends groups do the same for other lakes in Iowa. By the end of the meeting, locals made it clear that they wanted the DNR to work on improving the water quality, as many of them felt that the DNR wasn’t doing enough. 

When Balmer pointed out the DNR projects in the pipeline (dam repair in 2027/2028 and wastewater connection in 2025/2026), one local said this was not enough, as these projects are general maintenance. 

Friends of Beeds Lake President Robyn Kofoot said she felt the information they left with was useful. 

“I think the information they gave us was helpful because we really didn’t know what the numbers were in terms of improvement of water quality recently. We learned that the efforts in the watershed are making a difference, so we appreciate those farmers and residents,” she said. “Of course, we’d love to have the state remove silt from the west side of the causeway and have the lake depth returned to a deeper level. But we also know that the costs associated with this are just not realistic for our friends group to raise, and we don’t fit the criteria for current state programs because of the size of our watershed. So we need to look at ways that the community could benefit most from improvements that we can work on.” 

Kofoot also said she was thrilled with the turnout for the meeting. They started with around 10 to 15 people last June, and they’ve been growing since. Around 30 people showed up to their Dec. 2 meeting.  

“I was impressed with the local turnout and the questions that were asked by those who attended,” said Kofoot. “It’s obvious to me that many people care about the lake, and we need many voices to continue to see improvements, both in water quality and for park usage.” 

Kofoot said they’d love to have everyone attend each month and get involved. The Friends of Beeds Lake group is also working on securing $200,000 for a new playground near the main shelter. 

They recently surpassed the halfway mark to their fundraising goal. For more information about donating to the new playground, contact Friends of Beeds Lake board members Robyn Kofoot, Sheryl Borcherding, Mindy Scheideman, or Brenda Van Wert.

Donations can be mailed to Friends of Beeds Lake PO Box 13 Hampton, IA or sent through their Venmo account: Friends of Beeds Lake. They received $75,000 from a state DNR program that began the fundraising process, $1,000 from the Geneva Betterment Committee at the end of the summer, and recently, a $20,000 gift from the Barkema Trust.

Another generous donation came from a friend of the state park whose wife loved camping there each summer. Any donation, large or small, makes a difference, the group stated.