Lake Red Rock Filling with Mud
Red Rock Reservoir is a reservoir formed by Red Rock Dam on the Des Moines River. The dam was completed in 1969 as a flood control project by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. It is the largest lake in Iowa. Since its completion, the reservoir has been filling with mud (sedimentation) and has lost a large portion of its storage capacity (~44 percent).
Location
Marion County, Iowa
Driving Question
How can we limit sedimentation into the Lake Red Rock Reservoir?
Probing Questions
- As you watch the video, what sort of impact do you think this will have on Iowans?
- What do you think is the best-case scenario?
- Do you think this problem is unique to Lake Red Rock?
Classroom Suggestions
Students could:
- Investigate the cause of the sedimentation
- Design solutions to the sedimentation
- Predict changes to the land in the future
Resources
- Iowa DNR | State Park Beach Monitoring: Information on water quality in Iowa.
- Army Corp of Engineers | Des Moines River SRP: Program that determines the flow requirements for rivers to restore critical ecological functions and habitat for species.
Iowa Core Alignment
HS-ESS2-2:Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems
Credit Info
Submitted by Chelsea Thordarson as part of the Iowa STEM Teacher Externship program.
Funding for Iowa Science Phenomena provided by:
