F.W. Kent Park Lake, located about five miles west of Iowa City/Coralville, is one of the most heavily used publicly owned lakes in East Central Iowa. The 27-acre lake serves as the focal point in a 1,052-acre park. The lake is used by people of all ages for fishing, canoeing, kayaking and swimming and a two-mile length trail provides excellent access around the lake.
Cedar River Crossing Wetland Development
- Removes high levels of nitrates from water being transported by more than 100 miles of an agricultural drainage system, before the water enters the Cedar River.
- Expands the flood storage capacity of the Cedar River floodplain equivalent to 40 football fields, one foot deep.
- Provides outstanding wetland habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife, such as eagles, waterfowl, turtles, wading birds and river otter, including several threatened species.
- Cleans and purifies surface water runoff from more than 800 acres of watershed before entering the Cedar River.
Cedar River Crossing is a public area, located in northeast Johnson County, near Sutliff, Iowa. The Cedar River winds its way through the property and in the recent past, surface water drainage systems have been channeled directly to the river, resulting in loss of hundreds of acres of wetland habitat and reduced water quality. This project restores the natural wetlands and removes excess nutrients from entering the river system and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.
Wings2Water grant money helped Johnson County Conservation convert the old cow pasture into a grass and wetlands area which serves as a natural water filtration system for nearby Kent Park Lake. Past studies showed that runoff from the nearby pasture was polluting the popular recreational lake. The newly created wetlands is keeping the lake free of pollutants, so it can remain open for swimming and fishing. Kent Park is a 1,052-acre recreational park. It is considered to be one of the finest county parks in the state with more than 200,000 people visiting it each year to camp, hike, fish, and swim.
Larry Gullett, Executive Director Johnson County Conservation Board, said this about the project, “The funding we received through the Wings2Water program will be used to restore about 10 acres to prairie and wetland in the watershed of Kent Park Lake. We just acquired the property last January and are now preparing the seed bed a year before seeding. The area was used as a feedlot for cattle and all the runoff was going directly into our lake. We have been monitoring water quality coming from the site for five years, including this year, and the difference is remarkable since the cattle were removed. Bottom line is, this project will have profound positive impacts on improving water quality in Kent Park Lake through reduction of bacteria and nutrients (primarily phosphorous).”
