CLEAR Project coordinator will step down

David Knoll, coordinator of the Clear Lake Enhancement and Restoration (CLEAR) Project for more than a decade, will be leaving the post this month.

Knoll said he has accepted an Environmental Specialist position with the Environmental Services Division of the DNR in Mason City.  His final day with the CLEAR Project will be Nov. 22.

Knoll, a 1999 graduate of Iowa State University, took over management of the CLEAR project in March 2000. 

“I started as a half-time, temporary employee-- and now it’s 12 years later,” said Knoll.  “It’s been fun, for sure.  A lot of early work led up to major restoration.”

The CLEAR Project began in April 1995 as a concentrated effort to improve the water quality of Clear Lake by identifying the sources that adversely affect the water quality.  In 2001, Iowa State University completed a comprehensive water quality analysis of Clear Lake along with suggested restoration alternatives.  Many of those restoration activities have now been completed, including the dredging of the “little lake” and most recently restoration of Ventura Marsh.  Millions of dollars have been spent on the effort.

Knoll said a team-effort approach and partnerships have been key to the success of the CLEAR Project.  

“There was a lot of watershed work and work with the conservation of our agricultural areas early on that laid the groundwork,” he said.  

In particular the CLEAR Project was embraced by the Association for the Preservation of Clear Lake, a non-profit group of private residents and citizens which has served as - Read More Via e-Edition