Are All the Iowa Great Lakes Outstanding?

Currently, only seven of Iowa's over 200 hundred lakes are nominated for the list, and they are all located in Dickinson County: West Okoboji, Big Spirit, East Okoboji, Upper Gar, Lake Minnewashta and Lower Gar.

Earlier this summer, the Iowa DNR attempted to remove all of the lakes from nomination into the new rules, but during their July meeting the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission -- the citizen commission appointed by the governor -- voted to add them back in. But the EPC does not have the last word, and if there is a weak show of support for the nominated Outstanding State Waters (OSW) during the public comment period, they could be removed again. Even IDNR Director Rich Leopold -- former naturalist and resident of Dickinson County -- is not excited about including all of the nominated lakes as OSW, particularly Upper and Lower Gar lakes - due to their existing deteriorated ecological condition. However, nomination is not all about science, cautions Susan Heathcoate, water policy analyst for the Iowa Environmental Council. "Support from the local community will be one of the criteria for deciding whether or not a water body is designated as an Outstanding Iowa Water. And this designation provides an import new tool for protecting and improving water quality." The recreational and economic value of waters may also be used as nominating criteria.

Personally, I agree with many in the IDNR that East Okoboji and the lower chain of the Iowa Great Lakes do not merit the same water quality status as West Okoboji or Big Spirit. But they are all in the same watershed and related hydrologically. Together they are part of one big wonderful system that provides all kinds of recreational opportunities as well as diverse habitats for fish, birds, plants and all sorts of aquatic life. Together, they are greater than the sum of their parts! But then again, if I were to argue that East Okoboji and the Lower Chain of lakes be included, then I should also argue for Center Lake and other lakes in Dickinson County. Any water quality improvements to Center Lake would benefit West Okoboji, for example, since it is located in a sub-watershed that feeds directly into that lake, just as Little Spirit Lake feeds into Big Spirit. Scientifically, water quality data collected by the Cooperative Lakes Area Monitoring Project, coordinated by Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, shows Center Lake water quality is on par and even superior in some parameters to the Lower Chain lakes and the upper basins of East Okoboji. The same can be said for Silver Lake, outside of the IGL watershed but still within Dickinson County.

So where to draw the line? That is where your voice matters! Come to the public hearing on Thursday.

If you can't make the meeting, or still feel like you do not understand the proposed new rules, come to "Demystifying Antidegradation" at a special September session of Conservation Conversations the following day, Friday, September 4, at 8:00 am. Iowa DNR staff will be on hand to answer questions in an informal setting on the Waitt Lab porch at Lakeside over coffee and rolls.The IDNR will be takingcomments until September 15.