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Clarke County’s reservoir project is one step closer to the finish line as the draft Watershed Plan and Environmental Impact Statement are now available for public viewing and comment. Both of these documents, as well as other project materials, can be found on the Clarke County Reservoir’s website, clarkecountyreservoir.info.
Comments will be accepted through Dec. 22, and may be submitted through the reservoir’s website or by contacting the Natural Resources Conservation Service. For those who do not have internet access but would like to view the draft plan and other materials, they can reach out by mail:
Scott Cagle
Assistant State Conservationist for Partnerships, Natural Resources Conservation Service
210 Walnut St., Ste. 693
Des Moines, Iowa 50309;
or by phone (515) 323-2211.
The reservoir project is three decades in the making, as various government entities and community members have looked for a sustainable, long-term solution for water in Osceola and Clarke County.
In a Nov. 25 press release from NRCS, it was stated the project is needed “due to agricultural and other water supply deficiencies,” which also opens up the opportunity to supply additional water for residents.
Osceola’s current water source is that of West Lake. West Lake has a current safe withdrawal capacity of 0.8 to 0.9 million gallons per day, with a future safe withdrawal capacity predicated at 0.7 MGD. Most recent estimates state that an average 1.2 to 1.3 MGD go through the Osceola treatment plant. Estimates in 2023 showed that the new reservoir, referred to as Site 4B, will have a safe withdrawal capacity of 2.0 MGD. The water will be used to assist West Lake, and has a projected daily withdrawal demand in 20 years at 2.8 MGD.
In January of this year, Southern Iowa Rural Water Association’s new water treatment plant went live, allowing them to stop pulling water from West Lake and begin providing water to some of their Clarke County users with Union County water to help alleviate some of the strain on West Lake.
The Clarke County Reservoir Commission had been working on a watershed plan in the 2000s with an environmental impact study nearly complete in 2011. That same year, the national watershed program was defunded. The commission continued to work on their own without federal funding and when the program was funded again in 2020 they reapplied for assistance. However, it was necessary to rework the environmental impact study as well as assess the project’s impact on anything of historical significance. The commission has been working on the current plan since April of 2021.
At their September 2025 meeting, Cagle was in attendance as the plan draft agreement was formally signed. The draft plan-EIS is what lays out the purpose of the reservoir, its design, environmental concerns and its economic impact. Following the public review period, comments will be addressed with feedback compiled and included in the final plan. The plan will then be signed by Iowa State Conservationist Jon Hubbert and the Federal Chief of NRCS Aubrey Bettencourt. Once approved, the project will be able to receive federal funding.
With a current project cost estimated at $117 million, federal funding would cover 100% of engineering costs and 75% of construction costs. Currently, a local option sales tax in Clarke County goes towards the reservoir project.
An overview and history of the reservoir project is also available on the reservoir’s website.