The Black Hawk Lake Protective Association (BHLPA) has been recognized as one of North America’s best watershed management groups. Last month, the BHLPA was notified by the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) they had been chosen for the 2022 Achievement Award for their work to improve the waterbody’s overall quality. City Administrator Scott Peterson says BHLPA has worked for over a decade on this initiative, and it is exciting to see those efforts acknowledged. Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
The work on Black Hawk Lake’s water quality has been 13 years in the making with buy-in from residents, producers in the watershed, the City of Lake View, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and many others. Before the project’s start in 2009, water quality in Black Hawk Lake had deteriorated to the point that it significantly impacted its recreational use. Peterson says it seemed like a massive undertaking back then, but locals were all-in from the start.
Work within the watershed has been expansive and garnered attention from the group that monitors thousands of similar projects across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. From plans as simple as incorporating bioretention cells along drainage routes to full-fledged lake dredging, BHLPA and the community are using every avenue to improve water quality. Peterson says there is still a long way to go.
BHLPA representatives will travel to Minneapolis, Minn. next week for the NAMLS 2022 conference to receive their award. The conference runs from Nov. 14 through Nov. 17.