DNR tells county, 'dam is your responsibility'
This is a screen shot from the Reasoner Dam interactive site the county has established to collect information about the dam and the river. Visitors to the site, www.cutt.ly/reasoner have until Feb. 8 to place at pin at their favorite location in the area and tell a little about why. Discussions about the postings and information gleaned from the public will be part of an interactive meeting planned for Tuesday, March 2. More about that in upcoming issues.
By KENT THOMPSON
You own it. You take care of it.
While the words weren’t that blunt, that was the general message from Jon Garton, with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Land Management Bureau, to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors at their regular weekly meeting on Monday.
The Reasoner Dam is owned by the Humboldt County Conservation Board. Garton told the Board that the DNR is working with Santec and Professional Landscape Architect and Environmental Scientist Mimi Wagner on developing an appropriate, modern use for the dam area as well as developing water trails in Humboldt County.
“There is a lot of confusion about the responsibility of river dams in the state, as they are on state waters,” Garton said.
The Iowa Code states that the owner of a dam has the responsibility to maintain the dam and any appurtenant structures in a safe condition, which shall include regular inspections to identify maintenance problems.
Failure to maintain a dam could result in an administrative order from the DNR.
To read more about this story and other news from county government, see this week's Humboldt Independent, your trusted source for local news and sports.
