2 million pounds of sand aids beach restoration

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Crews are dumping nearly 2 million pounds of sand along the shores of a Black Hawk County lake to repair damage caused by flooding of the Cedar River in 2008.

The nearly $100,000 project will enable officials to reopen the swimming beach at George Wyth State Park. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is paying for 90 percent of the project, and the state is paying the rest.

Park manager Lori Eberhard tells the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier that after the work, the lakeshore will look like a beach again, rather than a “weed pit.”

Besides washing away the beach, the 2008 flood damaged a restroom and concessions building.

The work will be completed by Dec. 1.