DELHI, Iowa (AP) — Residents and businesses surrounding Lake Delhi have tried to remain optimistic about the lake’s restoration since the dam collapsed during flooding nearly two years ago, draining the 9-mile lake on the Maquoketa River.
Since then, residents have had little to do other than repair and maintain their increasingly less-valuable homes, the Gazette (http://bit.ly/NGdtnH ) said.
“We have a lot of happy hours,” said Tom Houlahan, 70, of Cedar Rapids, whose family has had a weekend home on the lake for about 40 years.
Warren Wortman, 70, a full-time Lake Delhi resident, said his two boats have sat idle since the lake drained.
“I used to look forward to weekdays, when the lake would be less crowded. Now I look forward to weekends so I can at least see a few people,” Wortman said. His lakeside home filled with 5 feet of water before the dam burst on July 24, 2010.
The loss of the lake and the hundreds of visitors it attracted each weekend has resulted in less spending at businesses in Delhi and Manchester.
Chris Stender owns Hartwick Marina, the only marina on the lake. He said his business is in “survival mode until the lake is back.”
The vanished lake also has depressed the value of lake district property, as reflected in a 38 percent reduction in assessed value, which will in turn yield less property tax revenue for Delaware County and the Maquoketa Valley school district.
But few Lake Delhi residents have sold, according to Teresa Turnis, a real estate agent and broker with F&M Iowa Realty in Manchester.
“Most of them are just waiting it out until the lake comes back. They love it out there, and they don’t want to sell at a loss,” Turnis said.
Turnis said she has taken many calls from potential buyers in the weeks since funding was secured to rebuild the failed dam.
Iowa is pitching in $5 million to help rebuild the dam. Lake Delhi residents have approved raising their own taxes to fund a $6 million bond and Delaware County supervisors have given the go-ahead for up to $3 million in bonds. A private fundraising effort has come up with $1.7 million in donations and pledges.
Construction could begin later this year after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Natural Resources issue required permits. If the work stays on schedule, the lake could be restored in either the summer or fall of 2013.
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Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazetteonline.com/
