DES MOINES, Iowa ( IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH ) - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has about $9.6 million annually of state appropriated money to improve water quality and recreational opportunities at Iowa lakes.

Most of these projects take several years to complete, but DNR’s annual report for 2025 and plan for 2026 show shoreline work, sediment removal, nutrient reduction and chemical treatments that inactivate lake phosphorus continue to be priorities.

Since 2006 when the Lake Restoration program was initiated, the department has removed nearly 8 million cubic yards of excess sediment, enhanced 14,000 acres of wetland and shallow lakes, completed more than 60 infrastructure improvement projects and worked with partners to install more than 700 watershed best management practices

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