JCCB votes to end dam modification project

     Plans for a modification project associated with the historic Mon Maq Dam in Monticello were scrapped last week during a regular meeting of the Jones County Conservation Board.

     The JCCB met on April 13 and voted unanimously to discontinue any sort of project associated with the dam.

     Conservation Director Brad Mormann said due to the current funding situation, with Conservation having to return just over $500,000 back to the Iowa DNR, it was the most appropriate action. (The DNR previously extended funding for the dam project for two years in a row. They were no longer willing to grant an extension this time around.)

     “The federal funds created additional steps for this project, and elongated the project,” noted Mormann.

     He said down the road, the board might choose to pick up with another project associated with the dam.

     Tom Osborne, president of Friends of Mon Maq Dam, said with the loss of funding, their group thought the JCCB “would have to eventually end the project.

     “We have been encouraging this decision for the past two a half years, so we felt this was a quick decision,” he added. “We feel they did the right thing. This good news has been a cause of joy and celebration and relief for all of us.” (The Friends group made it their goal to save Mon Maq Dam from modification.)

     The Conservation Board holds the management authority over Mon Maq Dam. When asked whether they would provide future maintenance of the site and/or structure, Moramnn said for now, the dam will remain as is.

     “There’s been no decision on maintenance,” he added.

     Throughout the various phases of the modification project, the Friends group only lent their support for the “no action” alternative, leaving the dam as it currently sits, letting nature run its course.

     “Overall,” said Osborne, “there is a strong sense without our membership that the area could be a lot more than it is. What that might look like does depend on the JCCB.”

     Osborne shared that the Friends group, which is a non-profit, has access to funding sources that government agencies like the JCCB does not.

     “We do have a lot of passionate people willing to donate time and materials,” he said.

     When asked whether the JCCB and the Friends group could come together on a future project associated with the dam site, Osborne was optimistic.

     “I believe that we could establish common goals with the JCCB, the Friends is willing to be a partner,” he said.

     Jones County Conservation stays busy with various projects taking place all over the county. Mormann said right now they are working on completing phase two of the Wapsipinicon Trail project in Anamosa. Other projects include: developing river access at Eby’s Mill, as well as off Highway 136.

     At Central Park, Mormann said they want to restore the Fremont Military Bridge, as well as expand camping opportunities, once the state allows camping again following the COVID-19 pandemic.