When ICON Water Trails was conceived as an idea, those behind the initiative hoped it would one day enhance outdoor recreation in Central Iowa and serve as a placemaking attraction that would help draw people to the region.

With 15 regional sites along 150 miles of rivers and creeks in Central Iowa now activated [when complete, ICON will link 80 sites] and work underway on the Scott Avenue site along the downtown Des Moines riverfront, organizers of ICON said they now have data that shows those hopes are being realized.

ICON this morning announced the completion of a report that shows those 15 sites have generated $20 million to the region’s economy. The report looked at visitors to the 15 sites and their related activities in the area between the months of March and October 2022.

It found there were more than 250,000 visits to those sites during that time period, with 31% of those coming from local visitors.

The report is the latest in the life of the initiative, which began as Central Iowa Water Trails before being rebranded as ICON Water Trails in July 2021. It is a $125 million initiative that is being funded through a combination of a capital campaign and public money.

Stephanie Oppel, ICON’s executive director, said knowing the economic impact of those sites at this point will help with planning as other sites are activated.

“This is important to us from a usership standpoint, to understand how they are engaging with the water trails and how they are engaging with what is around those trails so we can see the potential as we grow this network,” she said. “We know that these spaces are economic drivers, but we didn’t know the extent of how they were driving consumer spending. Being able to put pen to paper and understand that overall impact so that we can really unlock that potential and have conversations with folks about those access points, what’s around those access points and then also bring in future communities to ICON, really making that business case for outdoor recreation and its potential.”

“They are spending money associated with these visits, and that can have a real impact on the bottom line for communities when you think about tax revenue and the potential for small businesses in the area,” Oppel said. “I really want people to see they should not be overlooking outdoor recreation as just this kind of nice thing, that it can be a really critical component to a thriving community.”

According to the report, there was also an estimated $16 million health savings as a result of ICON Water Trails.

One finding in the report that stood out to Oppel was that local users of the water trails spent around $27 during their visit to a water trail site, with non-local users spending around $86 per visit.

With more sites, including the downtown Des Moines sites, yet to be activated, Oppel said the overall economic impact of ICON Water Trails is expected to increase.

“These numbers are going to grow, and we are going to see that both from Central Iowa residents but also from people who are willing to travel from around the state to access these amenities, and people who are going to come from all parts of the country.”

Kathryn Kunert, vice president of economic connections and integration at MidAmerican Energy Co., said the report shows that “we’re definitely on the right path.”

“Our visitation of being able to do these things has already come to be, and we only see more upside as they continue to advance these projects,” said Kunert, who also sits on the ICON board of directors. “It shows that when you come to Des Moines, there’s lots of things to do in the region. This is proving to connect our visitors to the entire region. It allows people to enjoy all the amenities within the region. It’s hitting home exactly what we want to do.”

The energy company previously created a $5 million fund to help activate regional ICON sites.

The data contained in the report will help create greater awareness and build support for ICON, Kunert said.

“Data helps validate and it helps provide the information that people need to either get behind it or do more,” she said. “When you see other communities and the benefits they’re receiving, whether it’s with [the number of] visitors, when you see a $20 million impact, the impact on health savings, and we’re affecting water quality, that should be an impetus and those should drive the decisions to do more.”

Johnston Mayor Paula Dierenfeld said the effects the sites are having on the community are already being seen.

Johnston has two sites that have already been activated, with a third site planned for later this year.

“But, it’s going to be important that the entire regional system be built out so there will be even more benefit,” Dierenfeld said. “As additional amenities are built out and more access sites are put in, that will be more incentive for people to drop in here at Johnston and go all the way to downtown Des Moines. As those additional sites are installed, it will only increase the economic opportunity for all of us.”

Dierenfeld, who also serves on the ICON board, said she envisions amenities such as bars, restaurants and retail being developed around those sites as the system is built out.

“This is going to be a huge draw for Central Iowa,” she said. “When you can offer that as a total experience for people, we’re going to appeal not only to people locally, but I think it’s going to be a national draw to bring people into Central Iowa. That $20 million is only going to increase exponentially. Because it’s a regional system, we will all benefit from it.”

The full report will be released during a virtual event on Wednesday, Feb. 28. It will be released publicly following the event.

The report, compiled by Indianapolis, Ind.-based Pros Consulting, used a combination of observed visit data, anonymous mobile data, mobile network coverage, weather patterns, air quality indices, and descriptive data from parks to create a methodology to derive the data contained in the report.

Oppel said one thing she hopes people take away from the report is that outdoor recreation is not only a nice thing to have, but is essential for the community to contribute to a healthier lifestyle for its residents.

“Thinking about the vitality of our communities, this really shows that planning for outdoor recreation in general and water trails specifically is a really critical component from a lot of different perspectives,” she said.