The Proposed Damming of the White River, Indiana

B a c k g r o u n d Anderson, Indiana has followed the familiar pattern of "rust belt" decline during the past several decades. The population has decreased from over 70,000 in 1970 to less than 56,000 today. The major industrial employers (such as General Motors) have largely disappeared, leaving behind a collapsing tax base, crumbling infrastructure, abandoned housing, and poverty. ? Y H W H Y W (Derived from ACED promotional materials) :: Potential to provide drinking water even during severe drought conditions :: Gated spillways may limit the 100-year flood downstream from the dam :: Possible source of hydropower A scant 23 miles from Anderson, lies Geist, a 1,900 acre reservoir dammed in 1943, which is now lined with high value commercial and residential real estate development. Though this has not been stated in their reports, the City of Anderson's Corporation for Economic Development (ACED) may be looking toward Geist Reservoir as a model for economic development in the area. :: New recreational area: boating, fishing, hiking (Adapted from the Heart of the River Coalition's "Case Statement" on the proposed Mounds Lake Reservoir, with added material.) With a $600,000 grant from Indiana state government, the Mounds Dam project has produced a Phase II Feasibility Study. The study "finds no basis for the Mounds Lake Project not to proceed to the NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act] evaluation and preliminary design phase, Phase III of the Mounds Lake process." On June 10, 2015 Indiana Governor Mike Pence stated that "the vision for that reservoir serves both the long-term water interests of the state of Indiana," and "the opportunity to develop this region in a fresh way that will attract new investment and attract people to the community." If it proceeds, the Phase III study is estimated to cost $28 million, likely drawn from Indiana state's taxpayers. B y t h e T? NO In 2010 Anderson's Corporation for Economic Development (ACED) began working on a plan to create a 2100-acre reservoir on the White River, the "Mounds Lake Project." While promotional materials encourage area residents to "navigate the future," a dam would in fact impede navigation down the White River's course. A 50 foot high earthen dam would be constructed in a residential area of the City of Anderson, backing up the river's course about 15 miles into neighboring Delaware County, thereby flooding one-third of the area of Mounds State Park and significant portions of two small towns. According to ACED's plan, the reservoir's primary purpose would be as a "drinking water supply as well as secondary purposes of flood control, alternative energy and potential economic development." Meanwhile, environmental, agricultural, academic, and at least two affected local government jurisdictions have lined up in opposition to the project. Health Concerns . Known industrial waste dumps would be flooded D :: Upstream, combined sewer discharges routinely contaminate the White River (after any moderate rain event). E. Coli and other bacterial contamination would collect in the reservoir :: Over 60% of the watershed that would feed the reservoir is agricultural (see inset), which concentrates nitrogen and phosphorus runoff. This affects drinking water quality and the lifecycles of river system :: The reservoir could negatively affect water quality in City of Anderson wells and also individual property owners' wells :: At least 1382 acres of forest and naturally vegetated land would be directly flooded by the reservoir. This destruction of thousands of mature trees in the river corridor would have an adverse effect on air and water quality n u m b e r s 2100 acres of open water reservoir 11 billion gallons of water storage capacity 60 million gallons daily for drinking water 120 million dollars for a new water treatment plant 440 million dollars estimated by ACED for cost of construction 859 acres of farm land flooded 1382 acres of undeveloped vegetated land flooded 261 acres of Department of Natural Resources land flooded 790 individual parcels of land at least partially flooded (108 in Delaware County, 682 in Madison County) 1/3 of Mounds State Park flooded 1/2 of the 6 miles of trails at Mounds State Park would be flooded 360,000 annual visitors to Mounds State Park 478 native plant species at Mounds State Park would be severely impacted 1,088 registered dams in Indiana were given an overall D-minus rating by the American Society of Civil Engineers' 2012 report card (tied with 4 other states for worst in the country) 90% of Indiana's dams are "unsatisfactory," most are aging beyond their expected lifespan and in need of repairs 15% of Indiana communities that would be affected by a dam failure have an Emergency Action Plan. Environmental Concerns :: Eutrophication (i.e. nutrient load and out of control algae growth which chokes the aquatic ecosystem) :: Removal of the mature riparian buffer would accelerate erosion, which would in turn accelerate deposition of silt behind the dam. :: Habitat for endangered species like the Indiana bat would be destroyed .A Mounds Fen Nature Preserve, a regionally significant, rare ecological niche which is protected under the Nature Preserves Act of 1969, would be completely destroyed by the reservoir :: The reservoir would soon be invaded by aggressive invasive species including zebra mussels and Eurasian milfoil that are problems in other Indiana lakes :: River migration of native species such as mussels and eels would be greatly impaired :: Thermal pollution from the reservoir would negatively affect aquatic species vitality downstream. . An old landfill, a former toxic industrial waste site, a construction demolition waste dump, and a D designated brownfield site are present within the project area boundaries :: Geologists have stated that it is not clear whether or not the sand and gravel deposits, and possible karst features, underlying the potential flooded area would be impermeable enough not to impact drainage systems far beyond the project area ^ Camp Chesterfield Bronnenberg Cemetery D Economic Concerns :: Many businesses would be lost and some would not relocate :: Bridge removal and/or replacement and traffic rerouting disrupts established traffic patterns and connectivity of rural communities :: Litigation on behalf of affected property owners would no doubt ensue, putting greater burden on regulatory agencies and tax dollar expenditure :: The Anderson Airport would probably have to be relocated :: The rezoned 100-year floodplain would impact a new set of property owners :: Drainage problems in agricultural fields adjacent to the newly flooded land will be exacerbated. The Delaware County Farm Bureau estimates significantly affected drainage up to 8 ft above proposed reservoir's new floodplain :: No potential buyer for the reservoir water has been identified. In fact, the major central Indiana utility Citizens Energy Group has recently (June 2015) released plans to create a holding reservoir for drinking water at a former quarry in nearby Fishers, Indiana E Historic and Community Concerns .B The historic (and populated) Irondale residential neighborhood in Anderson would be destroyed :: A significant remaining portion of the 19th century Indiana Canal project would be inundated, along with anything that remains of the 1801 Moravian Mission .C The prehistoric mounds at Mounds State Park and archaeological surveys in the area suggest that there is a very rich prehistorical and historical record that would be impacted by the flooding :: Over one-third of the area of the Mounds State Park, including walking trails and infrastructure for recreation, would be lost underwater :: The topography at Mounds State Park would be forever changed, along with its interpretive value in understanding why the Adena-Hopewell people chose the site for their extensive earthworks .D The historic 1836 Bronnenberg Cemetery would need to be relocated .E The historic Spiritualist community Camp Chesterfield will be impacted by the reservoir ^ Circle Mound ^ C Mounds Fen State Nature Preserve Landfill Irondale Neighborhood B Crop land and the watershed Mounds State Great Mound Park A Mounds Mall Industrial Waste Site p C Proposed Dam Site D Yorktown Selma 2 Miles County Boundary Water Parker City Farmland RANDOLPH Daleville Chesterfield Potentially Affected Bridge Anderson Airport Blountsville Modoc Springport HENRY Elev 880 Approx New 100-yr Flood 1 Vegetation/undeveloped DELAWARE Elev 876 Proposed Reservoir 0.5 Streams MADISON White River 0 Developed Winchester City and Town Boundaries © White River Muncie Community/Historical Value [ · Crops CAFO Animal Feeding Operation Confined ^ ^ " S Proposed Reservoir Environmental Hazard Environmental Value Bryan Preston, GIS Technician Delaware County GIS Department 100 W Main Street Rm 206 Muncie, IN 47305 765.213.1269 [email protected] ^ ^ Elev 884 Primary Ag Drainage Concern (Delaware County Farm Bureau estimate) Elev 888 Secondary Ag Drainage Concern (Delaware County Farm Bureau estimate) Forest / Vegetation IDNR Trails Inventory County Boundary Sulphur Springs Mount Summit "The agricultural watershed upstream of Anderson has some of the highest fertilizer application rates in the U.S. Factory pig farms dispose of huge quantities of manure on these same fields. This agricultural land has drainage tiles that straight-pipe these pollutants into streams and then the White River. Combined sewer overflows in Muncie and other towns dump sewage into the river any time it rains." David LeBlanc, Professor of Biology, Ball State University Best Practices Dams are increasingly being removed in order to help restore river ecosystems and improve water quality. According to the National Inventory of Dams and the non-profit American Rivers, 2012 was the first year that the number of dams removed was higher than the number of dams completed. The nationwide trend is clearly moving toward improving the free flow of our rivers. One opponent of the dam project stated at a public forum in Muncie, 18 May 2015, "Much of the rest of the country already sees Indiana as a 'backwater.' Do we really need to build a dam on the White River to prove it?" Data sources - John Taylor, Land Manager, Field Station and ACED Phase I and II Reports: moundslake.com Indiana dams: American Society of Civil Engineers, infrastructurereportcard.org Environmental Education Center, Ball State Indiana dams, 30 April 2015: WISH-TV, wishtv.com "Governor Mike Pence on Mounds Lake." The Indianapolis Star, 11 June 2015 University LeBlanc, David. "Mounds Lake" editorial. The Star Press, Muncie, 12 June 2015 Heart of the River Case Statement: moundslakereservoir.org/case-statement Sikich, Chris. "Projected water shortage prompts Citizens to build new reservoir in Fishers." Indianapolis Star, 24 June 2015 Tungesvick, Kevin, et al. "Additions to the flora of Mounds State Park and Preserve, Madison County, Indiana." Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 20 July 2012 Dam construction: National Inventory of Dams, nid.usace.army.mil Dam removal: American Rivers, americanrivers.org Confined Animal Feeding Operations Dataset: IDEM 2013 Watershed data: USGS Crops data: USDA 2013 Managed lands and trails: IDNR Streams and rivers: National Hydrography Dataset 2008 County boundaries: USGS, 1998 Incorporated cities and towns: Delaware County GIS, Indiana Department of Transportation Land parcels: Madison County GIS (2014), Delaware County GIS (2015) Contour lines: Delaware County GIS (2008), Madison County GIS Basemaps: Esri World Topo Map, Esri Terrain: Hillshade Sources: Esri, HERE, DeLorme, TomTom, Intermap, increment P Corp., GEBCO, USGS, FAO, NPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, IGN, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), swisstopo, MapmyIndia, © OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community, USGS, NGA, NASA, CGIAR,N Robinson,NCEAS,NLS,OS,NMA,Geodatastyrelsen,GSA and the GIS User Community