T-R PHOTOS BY ANDREW UBBEN — The rocks along Lake Woodmere at the Riverside Cemetery are usually submerged, but now they are showing due to the evaporating pond.

TIMES-REPUBLICAN

Unfortunate circumstances have come to light for an iconic Marshalltown cemetery as a staple attraction at Riverside, Lake Woodmere, is evaporating due to lack of affordable water resources and the waterline being shut off last year. The predicament comes as a result of a longstanding, unwritten agreement with Marshalltown Water Works coming to an end this past January.

For the past 120 years, Riverside has not been required to pay for water as part of a mutual agreement with the city, allowing for spent lime and sludge from the water treatment center to be dumped near the northwest side of the cemetery grounds, below the bluffs and along the Iowa River, in exchange for free water including the waterline that has been feeding the pond. However, after re-evaluation, that deal is no longer on the table as circumstances have changed over the many years passed.

Last year, while Water Works re-evaluated the statuses of local businesses that receive free water, Riverside was included in the inquiries. According to Shelli Lovell, Marshalltown Water Works General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, businesses have traditionally received free water in exchange for something, but there is no longer a viable or fair exchange with Riverside at this time. In regards to the dumping of spent lime, Water Works found documentation from the 1970s which indicates the dumping near the cemetery was no longer occurring.

“I think that there was always an attempt to make sure that it was a fair exchange for something for that free water, and there isn’t anything like that in place now. It’s not really possible to justify providing free water,” Lovell said. “The thing I think some people lose sight of is (that) the water costs money to treat and deliver, so it is costing money to do that. The board is sympathetic to their situation.”

Lake Woodmere is drying up in obvious fashion as the muddy rocks represent how far the pond once reached.

Lovell also acknowledged that many people in and outside the community appreciate the pond and fountain, including the board. But, according to Lovell, Riverside’s situation is not any different from other nonprofits in town.

“They all do good things. Being a nonprofit isn’t justification to provide free water either. Otherwise, they would all get it too,” Lovell said. “It’s a difficult situation.”

While Water Works has not budged on the request for free water, they have offered some alternative payment plans and sent staff out to check the waterline for leaks or anything that would compromise its efficiency or cause unnecessary increased expenses.

Before Water Works made the official decision in January to charge Riverside water fees, Dorie Tammen — the general manager of Riverside — had agreed to shut off the waterline sometime in the fall of 2021 to see how much the lake would be impacted without the water supply. Now that Water Works has confirmed the cemetery’s financial responsibility, Tammen has realized that Riverside cannot afford to turn the waterline back on even though that water source is necessary to sustain the lake. Tammen estimates the water bill including the usage for the pond would be over $3,000 a month, which is not in the budget for the nonprofit cemetery.

The circumstances surrounding this situation have left Tammen scrambling for solutions to keep the pond filled. After having turned off the waterline last year, the water level has dropped dramatically, especially in the last two to three months. This has created dire concerns for the domesticated geese, swans, turtles and fish as the lake will inevitably dry up completely if no action is taken.

 The pond water traditionally reaches the waterfall, but the water level has drastically dropped, exposing mossy rocks at the base.

Adding to the already existing expenses and recovery from the derecho in 2020, the loss of Lake Woodmere would come as a huge detriment to the scenic nature of Riverside’s appeal, which is the heart of attracting visitors to this historically rich cemetery which was established in 1863 during the Civil War. Tammen is working diligently and desperately to find solutions to this dilemma and hopes members in the community can offer any input or outreach.

Help is needed to keep the pond filled as it serves as the mainstay of the cemetery which attracts people to visit from all parts of the country and is the clear choice for many to lay their loved ones to rest.

Anyone with questions can contact Tammen at riversidecemetery1863@gmail.com or (641) 753-7891.

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Contact Andrew Ubben at 641-753-6611 or aubben@timesrepublican.com.

A curious goose wonders why the water drain is exposed since it is typically submerged.

A Canadian goose perches on a rock that is not typically visible but now evident due to the evaporating Lake Woodmere at Riverside Cemetery.