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River plan is adopted in FD

Work already underway to improve view plain to river

A plan for using the Des Moines River and Lizard Creek in and around Fort Dodge was adopted by the City Council on Monday.

And work is already underway to implement part of the plan, according to Chad Schaeffer, the city’s director of engineering, business affairs and community growth. He said workers from the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department are clearing away thick underbrush and some trees near the former Sunkissed Meadows Golf Course so that people on the nearby trail will have a better view of the water.

The river plan was developed over the course of about three years. Houseal Lavigne Associates of Chicago, Illinois, and Snyder & Associates of Ankeny, developed it based on public input received during a series of meetings.

The plan does call for the removal of both the Hydroelectric Dam and what’s commonly called the little dam. Both are on the Des Moines River in Fort Dodge. Schaeffer said that work could be done in the winter of 2018-2019.

There are six major goals that form the basis for all of the document’s recommendations.

Those goals are:

• Protect the natural environment;

• Improve water quality;

• Identify and enhance recreational opportunities;

• Improve access to the water;

• Promote sustainable development;

• Protect the natural corridor of the river valley.

The river plan is designed to dovetail with the city’s Re-Envision 2030 comprehensive plan and the plan for the Northwest River District neighborhood.

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