(LAKE RATHBUN, Iowa) A lake in Southeast Iowa is going to be even cleaner soon.

The Rathbun Land and Water Alliance received a state grant to support water quality for Lake Rathbun - a $500,000 grant from the Iowa Watershed Review Board.

"We have to give credit to the legislators because they saw the need. The State of Iowa appropriated $5,000,000 in this current fiscal year that we're in," said Marty Braster with Rathbun Regional Water Association.

The Alliance is one of just 17 projects selected to receive this funding.

"Principle problems in Rathbun Lake, that we've identified, are sediment coming into the lake, makes the water dirty. Makes it difficult for swimming and boating and fishing and also for water treatment plant. Sediment brings a lot of phosphorus, algae blooms, a lot of plant growth," said Braster.

To help correct this, the Alliance plans to work with landowners to put in 10 sediment basins.

"Essentially remove 80 to 90 percent of the sediment and phosphorus that come into them from the upland and this allows, of course, the water that is cleaner to come out down into the lake," said Braster.

Each basin costs about $60,000 to construct.

"We've identified a number of sites, at least 40 sites, where we could use these type of structures. We thought it was reasonable to start with 10 and see how things go, keep our fingers crossed, and if we have success, go back to our partners to ask for more funds to continue building sediment basins," said Braster.

The Alliance hopes to build three to four basins a year, over three years.

The basins will help maintain water quality for both recreation and drinking. Lake Rathbun receives about a million visitors a year, and more than 75,000 people in Southern Iowa and Northern Missouri get their drinking water from the lake.

Designs for the basins should be complete this summer and construction is expected to start in the fall.

-- Danielle Wagner , Reporting