With the dam closed, Lake Darling can now begin impounding water. President of Friends of Lake Darling Fay Vittetoe said at yesterday’s dam closing ceremony that 10 inches of rain will be needed this spring to fill the lake.

Those crucial to the project’s development, a representative from Governor Branstad’s office and a few individuals who attended the first dam setting held in 1965 were among the crowd that gathered for the ceremony.

Between the new dam, lake restoration and camp ground renovation, roughly $16 million has been spent on improving the park over the past 15 years.

For more pictures from yesterday’s ceremony, click here.