A lake in Marshalltown is in danger of drying up and now many across the community are coming together to make sure that doesn't happen. Lake Woodmere is in Riverside Cemetery. The cemetery is a beloved place for many people in Marshalltown and not just for those who have loved ones buried there. "We have people coming through here on bicycles. We have motorcyclists. We have walkers," said Dorie Tammen, the general manager for Riverside Cemetery.Tammen says people have come to the cemetery for years. After the 2020 derecho, the cemetery took on major damage. People throughout the community and beyond have worked hard to fix up the spot, including donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to help with repairs. The lake is a much-visited space at the cemetery. In addition to the peace it brings, people also come to feed the geese and two swans who live there. However, Lake Woodmere is a far cry from what it used to be. "I've never seen it this low ever," Tammen said. Tammen says over a century ago, the cemetery made a deal with the city. "In return for free water, the city would dump lime and sludge from the water treatment process on the back of our grounds behind the burial grounds," Tammen said. Marshalltown Waters Works, a separate entity from the city, eventually took over an agreement. KCCI reached out to the general manager, Shelli Lovell, who sent us the following statement: Historical documents indicate that water had been provided to Riverside Cemetery in exchange for something (for example an easement, a plot of land, or use of land), but there is no longer a viable or fair exchange with Riverside Cemetery, and there hasn’t been for several years. Therefore, in August of 2021, Marshalltown Water Works notified Riverside Cemetery that billing would begin for their water use. Riverside Cemetery representatives met with the Marshalltown Water Works Board in January of 2022, to request reconsideration. The Board explained that while they were sympathetic to the cemetery’s situation, they had to consider the impact to other customers’ water rates and couldn’t justify providing free water based on their nonprofit status, as other Marshalltown nonprofits don’t enjoy the same. The Board emphasized their appreciation of the value of Riverside Cemetery as well as all other nonprofit organizations that support our community.Tammen says the non-profit cemetery just can't afford to pay what they estimate could be up to $4,000 a billing period. However, there is a petition going around to hopefully bring about a solution. Marla Grabenbauer's shop is one of several with a petition read to be signed. She's hoping for a compromise. "We all maybe take ownership in it by putting $1 or $2 or whatever onto our bills," Grabenbauer said. The petition will be brought to the city council. While the city council members cannot make Marshalltown Water Works do anything, the community hopes the council will support it and will then encourage Marshalltown Water Works to save the lake.