The dam was first built between 1922-1929 by the Interstate Power Company for hydroelectric power production. This view shows it newly completed. The Lake Delhi Dam failed July 24, 2010 following a summer storm event that dumped about 10 inches of rainfall in twelve hours time. This was bittersweet for my grandfather, who as a young boy remembered being very excited to stand on the deck of the new dam. It was so hard for him to imagine that such a structure could possibly be breached from the power of floodwater. Rebuilt in 2014-2015, the level of the Maquoketa River was back to pre-flood stage levels by September 2016. My grandfather, then in his late 90's, once again made the trip to see the 'new' Lake Delhi Dam.
