Ventura, Iowa - (Oct. 26, 2011) The Rock Island District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources invite the public to help celebrate the completion of the Ventura Marsh Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project in Ventura with a ribbon cutting ceremony, November 1 at 1 p.m. The ceremony is being held at the Ventura Community Center at 4 North Weimer Street in Ventura.
The development and construction of this project was a partnership between the Iowa DNR and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. There is also a great deal of local support for this project because, while the scope of the project was limited to Ventura Marsh, the implementation of the restoration plan in the marsh area directly benefits the entire Clear Lake ecosystem and is essential to restoring aquatic habitat in Clear Lake.
The Ventura Marsh Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project was authorized under Section 206 of the 1996 Water Resources Development Act. The purpose of this program is to develop aquatic ecosystem restoration projects that improve the environment, are in public interest, and are cost effective.
The Ventura Marsh Project is located entirely within the Ventura Marsh State Wildlife Management Area, which is owned and managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The marsh area is located directly west of and connected to Clear Lake, a 3,600-acre natural lake in north-central Iowa.
Construction of this project was started on June 21, 2010 by Anderson Excavating Company of Omaha, Nebraska and included the demolition of the existing stoplog structure, construction of a new stoplog structure and a pump station with an outlet to Clear Lake, dredging of a water flow channel from the deepest section of the marsh to the pump station, and dredging of the forebay immediately adjacent to the pump station structure.
Release no. FY12-10-03