MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (KCRG) – Bill Gausen of Toddville fishes at Pleasant Creek instead of the river. He said he knows the dangers posed by low head dams.
“You don’t know what’s up ahead,” Gausen said.
Gausen is not alone in his concern. Iowa ranks second in the country for the number of deadly low-head dams, according to a database maintained by Brigham Young University. The state’s effort to remove or repair the remaining 147 dams on its priority list could take decades to complete, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Slow progress on a long list
When Iowa launched its Low Head Dam Mitigation Program in 2008, officials identified 185 dams as top priorities. Since then, 38 have been addressed. The remaining 147 still need removal or repair…