The City of Storm Lake has been awarded a state Water Recreation Access Cost Share Grant.
The funds will allow the City to purchase a new dock at the Sunrise Park Boat Ramp, and also install a new restroom and water bottle filling station in that area. Storm Lake received a grant of nearly 161 thousand dollars, which City Communications Coordinator Dana Larsen said is by far the largest of the seven approved across the state by the Iowa Natural Resources Commission…
This is the first time Storm Lake has been awarded a grant in the program. The funding was accepted this week by the Storm Lake City Council. The improvements will take place over the next two years. Larsen said DNR Fisheries Biologist Ben Wallace wrote a strong letter of recommendation to help secure the funding.
“The angling and boating public would benefit from this addition,” Wallace said in support of the grant application. “I believe the addition of these amenities would lead to higher use and help reduce congestion at other boat ramps.” “Storm Lake continues to gain attention and heavy fishing pressure due to its excellent walleye population. Other and more recent creel surveys around the state consistently demonstrate that lake visitors have a desire for more public amenities near where they are recreating,”
Storm Lake is the 4th largest natural lake in the state. An Iowa State study indicated over 190 thousand households visit the lake annually. The most recent Storm Lake creel survey estimated that anglers spent over 28 thousand hours fishing during the open water season. Storm Lake is also an important brood stock and egg harvesting site for the state’s walleye restocking efforts.
