(Council Bluffs) The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and local community groups will host a groundbreaking ceremony for a new campground at Lake Manawa State Park at 1 p.m. on Sept. 24, 2020.
The new campground will be located west of the current beach area, with an anticipated opening date of September 2021. The new 40-site campground will have a shower/restroom facility, along with full hook-up sites and paved camping pads.
The campground will expand local recreation and tourism opportunities while enhancing park amenities.
“Lake Manawa is located in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area and hosts a variety of users,” said Michelle Reinig, DNR Southwest Iowa District Park Supervisor for Parks, Forests, and Preserves Bureau. “It’s currently a high day-use park with over one-million users annually. The addition of the new campground will provide another opportunity and avenue for people to use the state’s natural resources for overnight use. This area has all kinds of events and activities where people are looking for an overnight stay.”
The groundbreaking ceremony will take place at Shelter #6, which is located near the Dreamland Playground and Lake Manawa Beach. In attendance will be Kayla Lyon, director of the DNR, Todd Coffelt, chief of the DNR’s Parks, Forests and Preserves Bureau, Reinig, and members of the Lake Manawa Friends Group, among other community members and dignitaries.
The new campground facilities will cost $3 million, with funding from Parks and Institutional Roads Fund, Land and Water Conservation Fund, and state capital infrastructure funds.
Media are invited to attend. Due to COVID-19, please practice social distancing and consider wearing a mask when distancing is not possible.
