STEAMBOAT ROCK - The sounds of heavy construction equipment have become common in town over the past few months as work continues on a new nature lodge at Pine Ridge Park. Construction will now shift to the Iowa River, where crews will begin work on the $1.3 million Iowa River Restoration, Water Recreation, and Safety Project.
The project, a partnership between the Hardin County Conservation Board, Iowa DNR, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will gradually remove the Steamboat Rock Dam and replace it with new river habitat and fishing spots, restored streambanks, and add recreation features upstream.
As a result, fish populations, especially flathead catfish, will have access to an additional 24 miles of river upstream to Iowa Falls. River users will be able to float through town without the need to drive or carry boats around the dam. The removal of the drowning hazard posed by the dam, which has been linked to two known fatalities, will provide a safer environment for water recreation.
"Pine Ridge Park is becoming a destination for outdoor recreation, connected to nearby trails and the Iowa River, and we expect fishing to improve upstream of the dam," said Nate Hoogeveen, River Programs Coordinator for the Iowa DNR. "The $2.7 million in improvements to the park, including a dump station and new bathrooms, will be even more beneficial since campground floods will occur less frequently without the dam, while we simultaneously raise the road elevation into the campground."
Contractors began removing the central portion of the dam adjacent to Pine Ridge Park yesterday. The center and top of the dam will be chipped down to create a low spot, allowing mud and sand that have accumulated behind the dam to flow downstream at a controlled pace, preventing rocky habitats from being covered. This process will take approximately one to two years, during which more sections of the dam will be removed until the river is free-flowing.
“Steamboat Rock is a wonderful community,” Hoogeveen said. “We hope that the improvements in fishing, camping, education, and water trail opportunities will attract new investments to the town, similar to what other small towns in Iowa have experienced.”