DES MOINES – Easter Lake, a popular area for fishing and swimming in Polk County, has a cleaner and clearer future thanks to a community-led effort.
The metropolitan lake was added to Iowa’s impaired waters list in 2004 due to declining water quality caused by sediment runoff and elevated phosphorus levels. These issues negatively affected the lake's aesthetics and harmed fish and other aquatic life by reducing visibility due to algae blooms and cloudy water.
The land use in the watershed was primarily agricultural when the lake was constructed. By the 1970s, the western half of the watershed had undergone significant urbanization. In the early 1990s, housing developments rapidly began emerging around the lake. As a result, silt from construction sites and sediment from stream bank erosion in Yeader Creek led to a 30% reduction in water volume by 2012. Today, most of the watershed is urbanized, which has increased stormwater runoff.
The Easter Lake Water Quality Management Plan was created in 2013 with two key goals: to improve water quality and to reconnect residents and visitors of the Des Moines metro area with the natural amenities of Easter Lake and its surroundings. In 2014, local residents and government agencies collaborated to launch the Easter Lake Watershed Project, an initiative aimed to reduce the amount of sediment and nutrients entering the lake by strategically implementing conservation practices on the land and fostering a culture of conservation within the community.
“Project watershed coordinators provided outreach and education, technical expertise, and implementation of urban green infrastructure to help achieve the success and outcomes in this watershed,” states Jennifer Welch, Polk Soil and Water Conservation District Urban Conservationist.
Partners removed more than 40,000 dump truck loads of sediment from the lake bottom during the restoration process. Residents and landowners in the area also implemented various environmental measures, including the installation of 16,697 square feet of permeable pavers, 38 rain gardens, and 982,233 square feet dedicated to soil quality restoration. Additionally, they restored 23,282 feet of streambanks and shorelines, established 141,570 square feet of prairie buffers, and created a 38-acre stormwater wetland. These initiatives prevent excess stormwater runoff, sediments, and phosphorus from entering the lake.
Michelle Balmer, DNR Lakes Restoration Program Coordinator says, “When the community started discussing how to improve Easter Lake fewer than 400,000 visitors came to the park each year. Through long-term planning, a shared vision, and the collective efforts of over 100 partners, today the lake welcomes more than one million visitors annually and boasts better quality and a thriving fishery.”
The watershed project has significantly improved the water quality in the lake, resulting in enhanced clarity and better habitat conditions for fish and other aquatic species, as well as for human users. As a result of these improvements, the lake was removed from the impaired waters list in 2024.
“Subsequent projects spurred by the restoration are a beautiful 4.1-mile recreational perimeter trail, a restored fishery, and the Athene North Shore at Easter Lake; an accessible park we describe as the most universally-designed park in the U.S.,“ says Rich Leopold, Polk County Conservation Director.
"This really is a success story about what happens when residents embrace ownership of a lake," says Jennifer Kurth, DNR aquatic biologist.
The Easter Lake Watershed Project was funded and supported by the Iowa DNR, Polk County Conservation, the City of Des Moines, the citizens of Polk County and local landowners. Other partners include the Polk Soil and Water Conservation District, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
To learn more about the Easter Lake success story, go to:
You can also find more Iowa success stories on the EPA's website at:
https://www.epa.gov/nps/success-stories-about-restoring-water-bodies-impaired-nonpoint-source-pollution#ia and clicking on the Iowa map.