PUBLIC PARKS OF IOWA 183 



general physical condition, which report shall be accompanied by his 

 plat, field notes and profile of his survey. 



"Sec. 3. Upon receipt of the report of the engineer, the executive 

 council shall determine whether such lake or lake bed shall be main- 

 tained and preserved as the property of the state, or whether the 

 same shall be drained, improved and the land included within the meander 

 lines thereof sold in the manner hereinafter specified. 



"Sec. 4. If the council shall determine that such lake or lake bed 

 ought not to be drained, demised or sold, the same shall be kept and 

 maintained as the property of the state for the benefit of the general 

 public. If the executive council shall determine that it is to the interest 

 of the state and the general public that the lake or lake bed, as to which 

 the statement is presented, be drained, improved, demised or sold, it may 

 permit the same to be drained under the drainage law of the state." 



There are in this state about one hundred meandered lakes, exclusive 

 of a few former river channels along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, 

 which are lakes on government records. Some of these abandoned 

 channels are very nice lakes, such as Horseshoe or Brown's lake, south 

 of Sioux City. It may be said that nearly all our lakes are in the north- 

 west quarter of the state. 



The United States government surveys recognize as a lake any body 

 of water which has an area of 25 acres or more. It was required that 

 all such waters should be meandered, i. e. survey lines should be run 

 around the lake, near the boundary, yet on the high ground or banks 

 if there are such, for the purpose of defining the position of the lake, 

 and for ascertaining the acreage to be deducted from each forty acre 

 tract of adjacent farm lands. The description in the deeds for sur- 

 rounding property calls for lands extending to the meander line; the 

 property owner usually has the right to use all the land extending to 

 the water's edge. A meandered lake is state property and can be drained 

 or sold only under an act of the legislature. 



There are many lakes or area less than twenty-five acres which are 

 really private property, the land owner holding deed thereto, paying 

 taxes thereon. 



There may also be found lakes of twenty-five acres or more lying en- 

 tirely within a section, hence not cut by section lines, and passed 

 over by the government survey without meandering. 



Under this recent act of the legislature fourteen petitions have been 

 filed and surveys made. At least nine of these fourteen lakes would 

 be classed as sloughs or large marshes. One is a long, narrow, stagnant 

 pond, an abandoned channel of the Missouri river. After recent wet 

 years some of these lakes are now in good serviceable condition for 

 pleasure purposes, but during the dry seasons of three or six years ago, 

 the water was very low, and in some places the entire lake bed was 

 dry, in many places permitting cultivation. 



On these lakes only four reports have been considered and decisions 

 given by the executive council. Several reports are now before that 

 body. A detailed report of the investigations is not, therefore, advisable 

 at this time. It may be stated, however, to the gratification of our asso- 

 ciation that it is the purpose of the executive council to maintain every 



