Sundown Lake is a private, man-made lake in
Appanoose County, Iowa
Appanoose County is a county in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,317. Its county seat is Centerville.
History
Appanoose County was formed on February 17, 1843, from open territory. It was named for the ...
, United States, east of the much larger
Rathbun Lake
Rathbun Lake was constructed and is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Located at Chariton River mile marker 142, approximately 7 miles north of Centerville, Iowa, in Appanoose County, it is one of the largest lakes in Iowa. The lake ...
, northwest of
Unionville and southeast of
Moravia, Iowa. It was created in 1976, by building a 51 foot tall, 1530 foot long
embankment dam
An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and ...
on the South Soap Creek, a tributary of the
Soap Creek, which is itself a tributary of the
Des Moines river.
As of 2012, approximately 70 homes had been built in the area surrounding the lake.
Development of the lake began in the 1960s. The lake originally covered about 470 acres, but
silting has reduced its size. The cost of the dam and surrounding amenities was $4.5 million.
Sundown Lake is contained within the Sundown Lake Rural Improvement Zone (RIZ), which allows property tax money to be used for maintenance activities (dredging etc.) for the lake.
The Appanoose County Board of Supervisors fought unsuccessfully to prevent the establishment of the RIZ, claiming that the diversion of tax revenues would adversely impact schools and local governments.
After losing a court battle,
the Board of Supervisors approved the creation of the RIZ on June 2, 2014.
The lake is managed by ''The Coves of Sundown Lake Owners' Association''.
References
{{authority control
Sundown
Bodies of water of Appanoose County, Iowa
Dams in Iowa