HEC: Plan to Dam White River May Have Long-Lasting Consequences

Plans to build a seven-mile-long reservoir in the West Fork White River in central Indiana is raising concerns, and today the Hoosier Environmental Council (HEC) has added its name to the list of environmental groups opposing the bid, saying it may result in harmful and long-lasting consequences.

Last year Madison County officials proposed the Mounds Lake Reservoir near Anderson, saying it would boost economic development, improve flood control, create prime real estate for waterfront housing and increase property values, according to the Associated Press.

But groups like HEC are calling for an alternative that doesn't involve damming up the river. Not doing so, they say, will negatively impact Indiana's environment and recreational and tourist sectors. HEC senior policy director Tim Maloney advocates that a free-flowing river, along with its adjoining natural lands, can provide a novel approach to sustainable economic development.

Over 360,000 people visit Mounds State Park every year, according to a HEC news release. The area's many activities, such as fishing, kayaking, mountain biking and hiking, attract tons of visitors. But damming the river would seriously alter the mix of native aquatic species, affecting those that like to fish for the bass, crappie and bluegill that swim in these waters.

Not to mention that extensive stretches of hardwood forest along the river - nearly 1,000 acres in total - would be destroyed by the proposed reservoir. These riverside forests provide high quality habitat for shorebirds, songbirds, waterfowl, bats and other mammals, and protect the river from siltation and other polluted runoff.

"The damming of the West Fork White River would cause major environmental damage, replacing a high-quality, free-flowing river ecosystem with an artificial reservoir, in the process drowning unique natural areas in Mounds State Park, destroying healthy bottomland hardwood forest along the river, as well as working class neighborhoods in the city of Anderson," Maloney said in the news release.

If the environmental impacts aren't enough, Maloney adds that man-made reservoirs pose problems for boaters and tourists because they make the river vulnerable to blue-green algae contamination.