Rock Ramp Construction Set To Begin In White River Next Year

Citizens Energy Group says it plans to construct a rock ramp that will restore water levels needed to serve Indianapolis’s drinking water intake.

A rock ramp is a natural looking structure with large stones arranged in an arch pattern across the river to form an upstream pool. The gradual sloping rock ramp will restore a pool in the White River that was formed in 1889 with the construction of the city’s Emrichsville Dam, which failed in October 2018. Citizens said the Emrichsville dam location was not chosen for the new rock ramp due to significant design and cost challenges..

After receiving community input, Citizens selected a location adjacent to theTaggart Riverside Park  as the site to install large stones across the White River.

Citizens spokesperson Dan Considine said construction is slated to begin next summer.

“We will be seeking permits from various federal and state agencies to build the structure," Considine said.

Considine said disruption to nearby neighborhoods will be minimal during construction.

“The construction will be right there in the park," he said. "And we will have to have an entry right into the river but the construction will actually be right in the river.”

Citizens does not anticipate the project increasing rates, and it should be completed in spring 2022.