Decades of Dedication: The Ongoing Work to Protect Prairie Creek Reservoir

A quarter century of progress

Completed in 1959, Prairie Creek Reservoir has undergone a renaissance since the year 2000. 

Around that time, some in our community began pursuing an idea to develop the reservoir for expensive lakeside housing, similar to Geist Reservoir in suburban Indianapolis. That idea never gained traction. Instead, it galvanized the community around keeping Prairie Creek natural, clean and available as a public resource to everyone.

This renewed interest resulted in the forging of partnerships, coordinated by the Delaware County Soil & Water Conservation District, and a flurry of beneficial activity. 

The District, along with locally elected officials, the agricultural community, Ball State University, Ball Brothers Foundation, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management all made protecting Prairie Creek Reservoir a top priority. 

 The improvements are almost too many to list here. 

• A conservation easement was established around the reservoir, preventing large-scale housing developments from encroaching on the shoreline. 

• Lands were preserved on the southeast side of the reservoir, which would later become the mountain bike and walking trails enjoyed by the community today. 

• Stream stabilization projects were completed. 

• Demonstration projects showcased conservation practices like grass waterways, filter strips, and constructed wetlands.

The recognition followed the work. The White River Alliance honored the

stewardship of Prairie Creek Reservoir, and the educational events and community awareness

built during this era laid a foundation that endures today.

Committed to securing funding

Much of the conservation work has been supported by what are known as 319 Grants. The Federal Clean Water Act Section 319(h) provides funding for various types of projects that work to reduce nonpoint source water pollution. Funds may be used to conduct assessments, develop and implement watershed management plans, provide technical assistance, demonstrate new technology and provide education and outreach.   

These federal grants are highly competitive, but Delaware County’s Soil and Water Conservation District has been fortunate enough to have received several rounds of 319 grant funding in the past 25 years. Those grant awards have focused on the Upper Mississinewa River or the Upper White River, including the Prairie Creek Watershed. 

With the most recent round of funding concluding last year, the DCSWCD has begun the process of applying again for a 319 Grant in 2026 to help protect Prairie Creek Reservoir for years to come. 

An agricultural community that cares

Delaware County is fortunate to have a farming community that, by and large, is committed to reducing its impact on the land. More and more local farmers are voluntarily planting cover crops, using no-till methods, upgrading to precision farming technologies, and caring for their fields in a way that reduces the runoff of soil, fertilizers, and herbicides into our streams. 

While many are driven by a desire to leave the land better than they found it, being a good environmental steward is also better for their bottom line. 

Farm inputs are incredibly expensive right now. Operating efficiently - by keeping their soil in place and by only applying fertilizers and herbicides when and where they need it - farmers are boosting their bottom lines. Farmers refer to this as the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship: Right Place, Right Time, Right Rate and Right Amount. We are fortunate now to have sophisticated equipment that empowers farmers to be much more strategic, more profitable, and more environmentally friendly. 

You can see the results in the White River through Delaware County. 

Even though it is surrounded by farmland, the White River in Delaware County meets state water quality standards for phosphorous and nitrogen. And while the river isn’t perfect, it is home to a whopping 65 species of fish, many of them are pollution-intolerant species, meaning they require clean conditions to survive. 

Doing the best we can

Despite all the progress and hard work in the Prairie Creek watershed, circumstances exist that limit how fast and how completely our community can effect change when it comes to water quality. 

The first limitation is legal. Our country gives landowners significant freedom in how they manage their own property. No framework exists to force anyone to embrace best environmental practices on their land. This means no one, from the county drainage board to the county commissioners, to the governor or even the President of the United States, can force anyone to plant cover crops or install buffer strips.

And even if that framework did exist, it would be cost-prohibitive to enforce it across the entire landscape. 

Simply put, private-land conservation in America is largely a voluntary effort, more carrot than stick, with some financial incentives in the Farm Bill in the form of cost-share programs. 

In addition to systemic challenges, there are very specific challenges unique to Prairie Creek Reservoir. 

Despite all the efforts listed in this article and the recent efforts by the City of Muncie and Indiana American Water to reduce sewage inflows, we have no idea how long legacy pollution will continue to affect the lake. 

Furthermore, research by Ball State University has identified the lake’s relatively shallow depth as a challenge as well. Unfortunately, pollutants that fall to the bottom of the reservoir don’t stay there. Because the reservoir’s bottom and its surface are relatively close, the reservoir is caught in a non-stop churn cycle, driven by natural heating and cooling. 

This vertical current helps resurface nutrients and pollutants, promoting algae growth when conditions are warm enough. Unfortunately, draining and dredging the lake is also cost prohibitive. 

A continuing commitment

When water quality concerns surface publicly, our county is engaged — fully engaged. 

The Soil & Water Conservation District brings decades of data, relationships, on-the-ground experience, and ongoing research to these conversations.  Effective watershed management depends on recognizing what has been tried, what has worked, and who has been doing the work. 

Prairie Creek Reservoir has had dedicated stewards for more than twenty years. We intend to

keep it that way.