Why Geist Residents Should Give a Dam
Writer / Lynda Hedberg Thies
The Mounds Lake Project started as a concept in 2010 with the intention of constructing a dam that would create a 2,100-acre lake spanning across two counties and touching four communities. The objectives of this project are to provide a sustainable source of water for central Indiana with a secondary goal of enhancing community and economic development. According to Rob Sparks, executive director of the Corporation for Economic Development of Anderson/Madison County is nearing the conclusion of the Phase II Feasibility Study and will submit the findings at the end of November.
Studies show central Indiana will be facing serious water shortages in the next 15-35 years and the Mounds Lake Project would have the ability to provide billions of gallons of water for the region. Past droughts have shown the critical nature of water availability in the area combined with the doubling of the population over the past 50 years. The majority of central Indiana relies heavily on the water from three Indianapolis reservoirs (Geist, Morse and Eagle Creek) but these lakes were built between 1940 and 1970 when the population was approximately 700,000. Today, the population is at 1.8 million and the need for more water is clear.
Because of the magnitude of this project, the Indiana Finance Authority approved $600,000 in funds and released the funds to the CED in February. The CED conducted a series of “interactive visioning sessions” that gave area residents an opportunity to provide feedback on the project, learn more about the future water needs and the opportunity for growth in the area. Approximately 3,500 residents participated in this process and the feedback has been very favorable.
The benefits of the project, once known only by the code name “Project Oasis” involves the analysis of existing resources for water in the region and evaluate aspects of water quality and a feasibility component that will highly increase the quality of the water shed. Sparks says that in Phase II the committee has been evaluating something known as the “Smart Water” option. This would allow Mounds Lake to feed Geist and Morse reservoirs with the intention to maximize water levels with surplus flow from White River. This would control water levels and flooding in the affected areas.
By December, the four communities involved will have the results of the Phase II study and will decide whether the Phase II study results in a Mounds Lake and they will determine the next phase of the process. The next step will be the formation of the “Mounds Lake Commission”. “This is the next big hurdle in a marathon of hurdles,” Sparks says. “This project would certainly make the area a recreational destination, improve the quality of life, attract new housing and retail opportunities and new economic development to Anderson and surrounding areas.” But economic development is secondary to the ability to bolster the entire central Indiana region by serving as a steady source of water for generations to come. “The quality of life is directly affected by the quality of the water,” says Sparks. No one knows that better than Geist residents. Reason enough for us to give a dam.
For the latest updates along with a projected timeline of the project, visit moundslake.com, facebook.com/SupportMoundsLake and Twitter @MoundsLake
