Fairfield council refers Walton Lake items to property committee

FAIRFIELD – For the fourth meeting in a row, Walton Lake was the focus of much discussion at Fairfield City Council.

The discussion concerns the replacement of a golf cart bridge over the lake, which will be replaced this year. The council awarded a contract to Drish Construction of Fairfield to replace the bridge with a causeway/culvert system for just under $200,000.

During the last two months, some residents have expressed their opposition to the project because it entails draining 11.5 feet of water from the lake, and they worry about the ecological effects. Others believe the council overlooked cheaper options.

During Monday’s meeting, June 23, the council agreed to refer a couple of items to the property committee that concern Walton Lake. One of those is a proposal by Fairfield resident Ed Noyes. Noyes obtained quotes from a company called Roadrunner Bridge of Greenville, Texas, which makes prefabricated steel bridges. Noyes included a quote for an 8 by 72 foot bridge for about $77,000 including freight charges, and another bridge measuring 8 by 84 feet for about $106,000 including freight.

The other item referred to the property committee is the lease between the City of Fairfield and Walton Club that governs infrastructure in and around the lake. Fairfield City Engineer and Public Works Director Melanie Carlson said the city learned there was a problem with the golf cart bridge when the Walton Club board approached the city to inquire about funds for replacing it. Carlson said city officials reviewed the lease, last renewed in 2015, and discovered that the city was responsible for the golf cart bridge, not the Walton Club.

The lease between the city and Walton Club comes up for renewal in December, and the city’s property committee will begin discussions about revising it, such as possibly transferring responsibility for the golf cart bridge to Walton Club.

The council also talked about the timeline for construction this year. Council member Doug Flournoy told The Union he would like to delay draining the lake as long as possible, within the terms of the contract. He said that would be a win-win result for all involved, since residents would get to enjoy fishing and kayaking there longer, and the Walton Club could continue using the lake to irrigate the golf course.

CONDITION OF WALTON LAKE

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Management Biologist Chad Dolan spoke to The Union about the current condition of Walton Lake, the effect of partially draining it, and how quickly it will recover after this project ends. Dolan said a member of Fairfield’s municipal government reached out to him a little over a month ago, and that he had not been involved in the project before then.

One of the recurring concerns expressed by residents at city council meetings has been the prospect of a massive fish kill from draining 11.5 feet of water. Dolan said it’s hard to say how extensive the fish kill would be from this project, but some dead fish could be expected. He said that, if the water is drained slowly, fewer fish will die because they can more easily follow the receding water.

“Do I expect a massive die off? I don’t expect one,” Dolan said. “I think the goal is to avoid something like that.”

Dolan referred to Walton Lake’s ecology as a “degraded system,” and that it has shown signs of degradation dating back to the 1960s. Dolan has paperwork from a biologist from that era writing that the “lake is very sick” from heavy sedimentation, nutrient input, unstable banks and degrading fisheries. Dolan said that common carp, an invasive species, were already present in the mid-1960s, and are still a problem today, as are bigmouth buffalo.

Regarding the time it would take for the lake to recover from this partial drainage, Dolan said the water level could return to normal in one to two years. The DNR’s fish hatcheries could be used to restock the lake with fish.

“After you stock the fish, bluegill reach catchable size in two years, and largemouth bass could take three years to grow to legal length,” he said. “Within about three years, you’d get a relatively normal situation, but it might be more like five years down the road to be fully mature. That’s a conservative estimate on my part.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com