Posted on March 18, 2026
SULLIVAN, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— The Sullivan County Commissioners met to discuss a number of different topics and one of those items was the current dredging project going on at Sullivan County Park and Lake.
Officials with the Sullivan County Park and Lake were asking for the dredging project to be given priority status in the county. This means that a project like this can be important to a county’s development and planning process and is deemed a key component in a county’s plan for growth. The park and lake have campgrounds open from March 1st through October 31st every year that people come and enjoy and officials at the park say this can bring hundreds to thousands of people in the area that will visit Sullivan County and add to the local economy.
Officials with the park were asking for $25,000 to go towards the dredging project and another $25,000 to go towards the maintenance and liability around the shoreline of the lake and other areas of the park, as the county does own the park. The commissioners voted and approved the priority status for the dredging project but decided to table both $25,000 requests to a later date. Robert Davis is the president of the Sullivan County Commissioners, and he mentioned how this project is critical to make sure the lake doesn’t go away, as this is the first time ever the lake at the park is being dredged.
“It was in danger of killing the lake, so they found that they had to get this done,” Davis said. “They’ve worked very diligently; I could pat them on the back for all they’ve done and all the work that they put into it and all the money they’ve been able to come up with. They’ve been able to accomplish and get things done and they’re going about it the right way.”
This is the first time the lake is being dredged in nearly 60 years, lakes are normally supposed to be dredged every 15 years if possible. Chris Egge is the project manager for the Sullivan County Park and Lake dredging project, and he mentioned how even if they didn’t get the funding today, the support from the commissioners with this priority status can go a long way for the project.
“It’s especially critical to have their support,” Egge said. “Even if it’s just on paper with letters of support or making it a priority project like they did today, when you’re applying for federal and state grants, because the first thing they ask is all right who are your partners in the project. We’ve been able to have a great partnership with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the Wabash Valley Community Foundation has been a great partner but even they ask, who are your local partners.”
