When the dam failed at Lake Delhi in northeastern Iowa in 2010, the state agreed to help Delaware County and local property owners pay for a new one, but the state placed a condition on its aid: All onsite systems at the longtime lake community had to be working properly. With about 880 homes around the lake, it was a tall order. But it also became an opportunity for university students to help fix a real-world problem in a county with limited resources.
The dam failed following heavy rains. In less than 24 hours, the watershed received about 12 inches of
