–Officials with Kossuth County Conservation are continuing efforts to improve the water quality on Smith Lake with a lot of behind the scenes work taking place this summer. Naturalist Billie Willie describes Smith Lake’s current conditions as the county’s freshest patch of seaweed. Once the water is drained out of Smith Lake, Willie says excavation work can begin in an effort to make the lake deeper. The plans call for the installation of four retention bays where water flows into Smith Lake. You can see complete plans for the restoration effort at the conservation board’s space inside Floral Hall on the Kossuth County Fairgrounds this week.