Kent Lake Park Restoration

Kent Park is one of Iowa’s most iconic county parks. When constructed in 1968, the focus was recreation, not water quality. As a result, the lake became highly degraded with sediment, nutrients and bacteria from its 687-acre watershed. Stanley Consultants was hired to improve water quality, aesthetics and user experience. The rehabilitation included adding sediment catch basins, outlet control structures, wetlands and erosion control measures. A parking lot with bioretention cells captures and filters runoff. Nearly 20,000 submerged aquatic cuttings were hand planted to provide fish habitat. Removing over 100,000 cubic yards of silt from the 27-acre lake and targeted shoreline protection features transformed the lake. “The results have exceeded our goals and expectations,” said Larry Gullett, Director of the Johnson County Conservation Board, of the award-winning project. “Kent Park now has the cleanest water in eastern Iowa.”