The health of the White River still needs work

The White River Alliance released its first-ever report on the health of the White River. While the watershed’s health has improved recently, the overall health of the river still needs some work.

A year ago, the White River Alliance began assessing the White River watershed in nine different counties, Senior Environmental Coordinator at White River Alliance Kelly Brown said.  The watershed was evaluated in three different categories of land, community and water. Researchers rated the overall health of the river as moderate with a “C” score. 

Brown said she hopes the report card helps educate people on how the environment impacts different aspects of life such as the economy and human health.

“The people are part of an ecosystem and people are a part of a watershed,” Brown said. “You might traditionally not think that you have a direct impact on the river and the larger community, but you really do.”

More than 540 stakeholders, including agricultural partners, political leaders, city leaders and businesses, gave input that helped researchers develop the report card, Brown said.
Historic and ongoing wetland loss and high levels of bacteria threaten the health of the river and warrant collective attention to improve the health of the river, the report concluded.

The goal now is to improve the score by honing in on details, Brown said. Researchers will continue to engage communities at different parts along the White River, Brown said, and come up with more localized, detailed plans to improve the overall score.

“I hope that it brings some excitement and some more action and unity around the river,” Brown said. “The desire to raise the grade because that’s the biggest thing is to improve the river, but also, just bring some pride that we do have good biodiversity.”

What did the report card find?

The report card found that the overall health of the White River is moderate with a “C” score. The White River is the largest watershed contained within the state and extends over 16 counties, including Marion. Each category was evaluated through six indicators that measure different aspects of the watershed. Regions around Indianapolis, including the Upper Fall Creek, Lower Fall Creek and Eagle Creek areas, match the overall health of the river with a “C” rating. More than three-fourths of the White River in Marion County do not meet State water quality standards.

How to Improve the Health of the River

Individuals, businesses, industry leaders, utility managers and public officials can all help play a role in raising the grade of the White River, Brown said. Remaining conscious of pollution and participating in groups such as the White River Alliance of the Indiana Water Summit can help raise the grade. Registering to vote to inform and create public policy that helps protect watersheds is most important. Increasing voter participation remains an important strategy in protecting the White River, the report said.

To view the full report, click here.

Contact staff writer Jayden Kennett at 317-762-7847 or by email JaydenK@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @JournoJay.