HAMILTON COUNTY — For decades, the site on the edge of Geist Reservoir off of Oilo Road was an active limestone quarry.
But Citizens Energy Group has given this crater a new use.
A more than 200 foot limestone wall that separates Geist Reservoir from the new Citizens Reservoir,
Geist Reservoir is 1,800 acres, holds over 6 billion gallons of water and has an average depth around 10 feet. Citizens Reservoir is 90 acres, holds a little more than 3 billion gallons and is 230 feet deep.
When drought causes water levels to drop on Geist, this new water source will help bring water levels back up.
"We can get 30 million gallons a day pumping out of this reservoir going back into Geist Reservoir," Ryan Taylor, purification plant engineering manager, said. "Then during the wet season, we can get 100 million gallons to come back into the quarry to fill it up."
"It enables us to balance the withdrawals from our three primary sources of water: Geist Reservoir, Morse Reservoir and the White River," Dan Considine, a spokesperson for Citizens Energy Group, said.
The reservoir increases the available water supply to eight counties in central Indiana, including Marion County and Indianapolis.
The change from quarry to holding tank began in 2019. This new reservoir was filled in 2021 with excess water from Geist.
"It's very unique in Indiana. It's a very unique opportunity because our quarry is right next to our reservoir. We only needed a few hundred feet to connect the two," Taylor said.
This new water resource will help handle future population and economic growth.
"We think this reservoir will provide the additional water supply we need over the next 20 years," Considine said.
-
Perfect season has turned Indiana into the toast of college football
Even the start of basketball season at one of the sport’s true blueblood programs cannot diminish the excitement of college football’s biggest surprise and best story.
Colts give Anthony Richardson the starting QB job for rest of season
Richardson will move forward as the starting quarterback for the Colts. This comes two weeks after coach Shane Steichen benched Richardson in favor of 39-year-old Joe Flacco.
IMPD arrests 21-year-old for violating home detention, possessing firearm
A traffic stop led to the arrest of a 21-year-old after he allegedly violated the terms of his home detention and had a firearm illegally.
Title IX investigation still pending 2.5 years later at MSD Decatur Township
A federal investigation into how the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township handled sexual misconduct allegations is still pending two and a half years later.
