By Justin Schneider, Herald Bulletin Online Reporter/Manager
The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON — The White River is wholly Indiana’s.
The west fork originates in Randolph County, near the Ohio border, winds through Indianapolis and merges with the East Fork in Pike County. From there, the combined flow empties into the Wabash River on the Illinois border.
“It starts and ends in Indiana,” said John Bundy of Perkinsville, who founded White River Rescue 2000 in response to the 1999 fish kill. Aquatic life along a 57-mile stretch of the river was destroyed after chemicals were discharged from Guide Corp. in Anderson.
The White River’s importance extends from recreation — fishing and canoeing — to aesthetics and business. Countless streams, creeks and brooks feed the river along the two forks’ combined 435-mile course, not to mention storm water from urban areas and runoff from agriculture.
“The upper White River drains more than half of Indiana,” Carl Wodrich, natural resource damages program director for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, said of the 11,350 square miles drained by the river. “It’s a pretty important watershed system and part of the larger Wabash watershed.”
Historians trace the White River name back to the Miami tribe, which settled near its banks and called the river “Wapehani,” which means white sands. The river’s importance has carried over from ancient Hoosiers to Indiana’s modern people.
“Sixty percent of the drinking water in Indianapolis comes from the White River,” said Kevin Hardie, executive director of Friends of the White River. “It’s the reason the city was located here.”
Hardie’s group advised Madison County’s White River Watchers when the group was in its early stages, and both strive to protect the waterway. He says he considers the White River part of Indiana’s “natural infrastructure.”
“A lot of cultural institutions are located along the White River,” Hardie said. “The Indianapolis Museum of Art, White River State Park, the Indianapolis Arts Center, Butler University’s Holcomb Gardens. Businesses have found ways to embrace it, rather than the way, in many instances, they turned their backs on the waterway.”
Bill James, chief of fisheries for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, worries that incidents such as the 1999 fish kill have scared off people who might otherwise take advantage of the river. He said the public should embrace the river, albeit with a certain amount of caution.
“We still have combined sewer and septic overflows, which means e-coli counts can still be high,” James said. “So you shouldn’t have full-body contact with the river, but it’s not limiting the fishery resource.”
As part of a federal consent decree resulting from the fish kill, Anderson agreed to complete $161 million worth of measures over 20 years to reduce raw sewage overflows to the White River. The $8.5 million first phase of the sewer overflow project is expected to be completed in 2011. Anderson operates two treatment plants, one off Gene Gustin Way and the other along Dewey Street, capable of treating up to 34 million gallons of wastewater per day.
James said 19- and 20-inch smallmouth bass have returned to the White River, attracting anglers. Canoe rentals and guided fishing tours provide a living for a select few.
The overwhelming message from state officials and natural resource stewards is that the river is meant to be used. Scott Pruitt, field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services in Bloomington, served as one of three trustees who approved restoration projects after the 1999 fish kill.
“Please, do go to the river,” Pruitt said. “There’s no reason not to be in the river and float on it and enjoy it.”
Contact Justin Schneider: 640-4809, justin.schneider @heraldbulletin.com
