City Awarded Grant for Eagle Point Park Restoration

CITY OF DUBUQUE CONTACT:
Marie Ware, Leisure Services Manager
563.589.4264, mware@cityofdubuque.org

Dec. 27, 2017 -- For Immediate Release

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has awarded the City of Dubuque a grant of $320,000 from the State Revolving Fund, commonly referred to as SRF. 

The grant money will be used for additional implementation of the Environmental Restoration Management Plan at Eagle Point Park, a 164-acre community park that opened in 1909 on Dubuque’s northeast side. Eagle Point Park is owned by the City of Dubuque and managed by the City of Dubuque Leisure Services Department’s Park Division. The park overlooks the Mississippi River, providing a spectacular view of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. 

This project is part of an ongoing environmental restoration effort for Eagle Point Park that contributes to Dubuque’s mission of creating a sustainable future. It involves implementation of the Eagle Point Park Environmental Restoration Management Plan that was completed under an IDNR Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) grant awarded in 2015. Adopted by the City Council in 2017, the management plan addresses the park’s recreational and natural spaces that suffer the effects of severe erosion, invasive vegetation, and degraded natural habitats on the rolling, rugged terrain. Some implementation of that plan will commence using funds from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as funds from the previous REAP grant and a second REAP grant of $200,000 awarded in 2017. All of this environmental work must be done within the context of the park’s rich cultural history.

The SRF-sponsored project involves design, engineering, permitting, and construction of low-impact development and green infrastructure best management practices for managing stormwater to improve water quality. The SRF project will use practices including rain gardens, infiltration basins, permeable surfaces, soil quality restoration, conversion to native vegetation, runoff diverters, stabilizing headcuts, and retrofitting existing stormwater basins. In combination, these green infrastructure best management practices provide an effective strategy for reducing erosion and improving water quality downstream in the watersheds of Bee Branch Creek and the Mississippi River. They are will also provide new nature-based recreation opportunities for visitors, create habitat for wildlife, and foster sustainability.

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