The public is invited to celebrate the dedication of Iowa’s newest lake at the Lost Grove Lake main boat ramp, October 7 at 1:00 p.m.
In the event of rain, the ceremony will move to the Princeton Boll’s Community Center.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting the dedication. A guided bus tour of the Lost Grove Lake and Wildlife Management Area will take place immediately following brief presentations.
Located 6 miles east of Eldridge, plans to establish Lost Grove Lake began in 1987. It opened to the public in August 2014.
“People started recreating on the lake as soon as it was open,” said Chad Dolan, fisheries management biologist for southeast Iowa.
Lost Grove Lake has five ADA compliant fishing trails accessible by wheelchair. Fish attracting habitat such as spawning beds and brush piles have been placed within casting distance of the trails. Special canoe and kayak accesses are located along the shore fishing accesses.
The construction of Lost Grove Lake involved many local partners, including the Hawkeye Fly Fishers and other local fishing clubs, local quarries and haulers, the Scott County Waste Commission, local landowners, Scott County Secondary Roads and more.
Iowa State University Center for Agriculture and Rural Development research indicates that a lake of this size with good water quality will annually provide for 350,000 visits and create about $20 million in local spending, supporting 175 jobs.