The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will start the next phase of restoration work at Geode State Park in Danville. The project began in January 2018 to improve water quality at Lake Geode and enhance accessibility and recreational opportunities in the park.

Lake Geode flyby video

To date, about 80,000 cubic yards of sediment have been removed from the lake in southeastern Iowa. Planned work will remove an additional 112,000 cubic yards of sediment, stabilize the eroded shoreline, build fishing jetties and add fish habitat structures.

Local angling groups will help place additional fish habitat features in the lake bottom. The DNR will replace the existing lake drain valve and complete maintenance work on the concrete spillway. Construction work is expected to be finished in the spring of 2020. Final efforts to stabilize the shoreline will be conducted via barge after the lake refills.

Campground improvements, started in March 2018, are expected to be completed this summer. Improvements include a new shower building, pit toilet and dump station, and 14 campsites with full utility hook-ups and 52 campsites with electrical hook-ups.

Lake Geode is one of the Iowa lakes selected for lake restoration work designed to improve water quality and habitat as well as provide a positive economic return to the community. Poor water quality has negatively impacted the fish population and affected all water-based recreation at the lake. Implementation of water quality improvement practices in the watershed is currently underway.

For more information, contact George Antoniou, Lake Restoration Program Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, at 515-725-8449.