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(INDIANAPOLIS) – Citizens Energy says a $9 million rock barrier on the White River will safeguard Indy’s water supply, and restore a centerpiece of an Indianapolis park.

The failure four years ago of the Emricksville Dam at 16th Street wiped out Lake Indy in Riverside Park, releasing water upstream along the river. That lowered the water line below where it needs to be to feed the intake system at Citizens’ water treatment plant at 30th Street.

Citizens CEO Jeffrey Harrison says that stretch of river is a key backup for the water supply to the plant. The plant’s main water source is Indy’s Central Canal, but purification plant engineering manager Ryan Taylor explains if there’s a drought or if Rocky Ripple closes its floodgates, the water from Riverside Park fills the gap.

Instead of a dam, Citizens has built a series of seven gently-sloping rock barriers in the river. Taylor says that’s better environmentally than a dam, allowing fish to travel the river freely and avoiding churning of the river bottom when water hits the dam wall.

The completion of the rock ramp also restores Lake Indy to service.