Residents of Beaver Lake voice concerns for water supply and safety

Jasper — Over 70 people attended a special meeting at the Habig Center Tuesday evening about the water levels at Beaver Lake.

All of them agreed, Beaver Lake is at least 9 to 12 inches lower.

Originally the city stated the level was due to the spillway being about half an inch lower than the spillway that was replaced during the mandated $3.3 million project.

Brian McKenna, director of civil design for Christopher B. Burke Engineering of Indianapolis,the contracted engineering firm on the project, explained at the last utility service board meeting that the level difference may be due to the water flowing over the spillway much more efficiently than the previous spillway.

But residents and property owners are skeptical at this explanation and are wondering how low the water will get as the summer dry season further lowers the level of the lake.

Everyone attending last night’s meeting was asked to sign a register on the way into the Community Room. Mayor Terry Seitz then read the names off the list, allowing those individuals interested in speaking to do so. About thirty of those attending spoke and several provided photos indicating the changes in the lake water levels.

The city answered some questions about the processes involved in the dam renovation project but for the most part just listened to the comments while Utility Service Manager Bud Hauersperger took notes and collected the presented evidence.

Comments from the crowd addressed problems with docks being too high to comfortably get in and out of boats now that the water level was lower; construction projects that now have to be redesigned before they can be completed, or recently completed projects that were built around the previous water levels that now have to be rebuilt or modified at the owner’s expense.

The lower water levels increase the risk of boaters and tubers hitting stumps that are now much closer to the surface of the water. Ruth Fritch, a property owner, asked if the city would begin marking the location of the stumps for safety concerns. The city responded that Kale Knies would look into those safety concerns.

Water is currently flowing over the spillway, but one concern raised was what the water level will be once that water stops flowing over the spillway as the dry season comes into effect.

Beaver Lake is considered a 50-year lake according to Gas and Water Manager Mike Oeding, meaning it has an average 50-year lifespan. This lifespan is determined by the size of the lake and the silt that is brought into the lake by the streams and rivers that fill the lake. Patoka Lake Reservoir is considered a 100-year lake.

Beaver Lake was originally built in 1954 and some areas around the lake have been dredged in the past. Hauersperger was unsure when the last major dredging project had occurred, but during his time with the city the parks department had dredged around the public access point.

Several residents pointed out that if the city wished to continue to have this asset as a secondary water source during times of drought and a recreational activity, dredging would probably have to be considered in the near future.

Tim Blackgrave stated he wondered how much capacity the lake currently has since it has filled with silt over the years. “If we have a summer like last year, it’s going to be a cesspool.”

Ann Frick spoke near the end of the meeting. “We’ve been at a place out there since 1954. I’ve taught everyone of my six children to swim out there, our fourteen grandchildren, and now I have great-grandchildren saying, ‘grandma when can we swim?’  It breaks my heart to tell them there isn’t any water.”

Jasper Utility Service Board Chairman Wayne Schuetter told the crowd in his final remarks that he was surprised when they started receiving the calls about the water being lower. “The question was asked if we were surprised. Speaking for myself, yes,” Schuetter stated. “We went through an extensive process of looking at engineers first and picked one that is well known throughout the state for doing this type of work. Their plans were looked over by DNR, they were looked over by the EDA engineers, all of them signed off on them. When the project was finished and the water levels came back up, we started getting calls. Yes, we were surprised.”

Schuetter told the residents and property owners to hold off on making any changes to their docks or other structures on their property affected by the lower water level. He stated due to the timing the water committee wouldn’t be able to meet before the next utility service board meeting, therefore any actions or decisions would not be made until the July board meeting.

“It goes to the water committee next in order to determine what we can do,” Mayor Terry Seitz said. “Ultimately, it may be that there is little that can be done, maybe there is a lot that can be done. But how it got to this point still has to be answered.”