But, the push to complete the new Clarke County Reservoir remains a priority.
As of Tuesday morning, May 20, 2025, West Lake’s spillway overflowed for the first time since May 2021.
Take a quick minute to see the latest milestone update for Osceola’s West Lake Spillway:
“It’s nice to see the lake at full capacity, but we must not forget just how quickly that can change,” said Osceola Water Superintendent Brandon Patterson, “the push to complete the develop of the new Clarke County Reservoir is more important than ever.”
The water issues in Osceola are a documented problem that dates back to the 1950’s, per the article “City Water Supply Dwindles” published in the October 7, 1952 edition of the Osceola Tribune, that was presented at the February 27, 2025 meeting of the Clarke County Reservoir Commission.
In 2008, a “water needs analysis” projected the growth of Clarke County and South-central Iowa to have a water shortage and that the construction of a new reservoir would need to be developed to remediate the projected shortage. The capacity rating for Osceola’s West Lake was 800,000 to 900,000 Gallons Per Day (GPD). At the time of the study, West Lake was already providing peak daily demands of more than 1.2 million GPD – 30% more than the lake is rated for. The Osceola Water Works is now seeing peak daily demands of more than 1.8 million GPD – 50% more than the lake is rated for.
Depletion of West Lake, which is the only water source for Osceola, by public and agricultural consumption is caused by over-pumping. Consumption is outpacing replenishment thru the key factors of the water cycle – precipitation and evaporation, and as we all know, drought, which is generally outside our control.
“We know that the West Lake watershed and West Lake are not large enough to support the growing demand of Osceola and Clarke County on a long-term basis,” said Patterson, “careful resource management is crucial to maintain a sustainable water supply.”
Osceola Water Works encourages conservation of water resources by all consumers and passes along information as early as possible as to when the area may be experiencing a shortage of supply so people can start preparing reserves or reducing use accordingly.
“The bottom line is we still need to be responsible with our water use and strive towards constructing the new Clarke County Reservoir as the solution to a reliable supply of water,” said Patterson. “It’s time to see the development of the new reservoir completed. The businesses and citizens of Osceola and Clarke County deserve to have a reliable source of water.”
If you have any questions about how you can help preserve Osceola’s water supply or help promote the development of the new Clarke County Reservoir, please contact the Osceola Water Works offices at 208 West Jefferson Street, PO Box 515, Osceola, IA 50213, Phone: 641-342-1435 or email: [email protected].
