Environmentalists say work in recent years on cleaning the water of the White River through central Indiana has it in its best health in decades.
They are hoping that more progress is on the way as Indianapolis continues a major project to reduce the amount of raw sewage that ends up in the river and its tributaries.
As organizers plan an Earth Day observance in Indianapolis for Saturday, outdoorsmen and other advocates are encouraged by the greater attention being paid to the river, which has its West Fork starting in eastern Indiana’s Randolph County and running more than 300 miles to the Wabash River south of Vincennes.
“White River got no respect,” James Donlan, who has fished the river since the ’70s and owns a bait shop along it, told The Indianapolis Star. “Now it gets respect, and it’s due — I’d say overdue.”
The Indianapolis City-County Council voted this month to increase sewer rates 66 percent over four years to raise $750 million toward the project to reduce sewage releases. Since 2005, the city has already spent about $300 million on water quality.
Kevin Hardie, executive director of Friends of the White River, said more people have grown to appreciate the river as its has been cleaned up and new recreational opportunities have been added. The Monon Trail on the north side of Indianapolis crosses the river and White River State Park just west of the city’s downtown are each big draws.
The river drew major attention after a 1999 fish kill caused by a chemical release from Anderson auto parts maker Guide Corp. The state obtained about $14.2 million in settlements from the discharge and spent nearly half of it on the river — planting native grasses on the banks to better filter water runoff and improving public access.
Tim Maloney of the Hoosier Environmental Council said he believed there was a growing community consensus of the river’s value.
“We are making progress,” he said. “But I wouldn’t say we’re satisfied in the current condition. We can’t stop here.”
Information from: The Indianapolis Star, http://www.indystar.com
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