Three Mile Lake: Forty Years in the Making
The water is clear and the setting of Three Mile Lake today is tranquil.

It wasn't always that way.

Three Mile Lake is a product of disaster - conceived by flood and born of drought. For more than 40 years, farmers in this Union County valley tried to tame the unpredictable and often ferocious waters of Three Mile Creek. Within the blink of an eye, crops, fences, bridges, portions of roadway and sometimes even livestock could be swept away in rapidly rising waters.

People like Bob Harpin just laugh when asked if flooding was an annual occurance to those trying to farm along the banks of Three Mile Creek.
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Paul Goldsmith, district conservationist and project coordinator, can help landowners
Paul Goldsmith, district conservationist and project coordinator, can help landowners install conservation practices to help preserve the lake for future generations.

For More Information
Local:
Paul Goldsmith
District Conservationist
(641) 782-4218
Paul.Goldsmith@ia.usda.gov
Union County NRCS Office

Statewide:
Steve Hopkins
DNR Nonpoint Source Program Coordinator
(515) 281-6402
Stephen.Hopkins@dnr.iowa.gov