Posted on March 12, 2025
SULLIVAN, Ind. — For the first time in its history, Sullivan Lake is set to be dredged.
Dredging it the process of removing built up sediment caused by erosion and runoff.
Lake Sullivan was created over 50 years ago for the purpose of being a sediment basin. Now that sediment has grown too high, causing an unsafe environment for the ecosystem.
Instead of the typical mechanical dredging, which uses excavators to clear the sediment, this will be hydraulic dredging.
Chris Egge, one of the leaders of the project, said they are able to use this method because the sediment will be very valuable after it is separated from the water.
“We’ll be doing hydraulic dredging, which is suction off the bottom of the lake and piping it to a containment area where the wet water will de-water”, Egge said. “All that water will run right back into the lake. Then that soil will be removed from the property. It’s actually really great topsoil, so there’s nothing harmful with the material. We’ve already done all the soil studies and all the surveys, so that’s why we’re able to do the hydraulic dredging process.”
Sullivan Park and Lake is holding a community forum on Wednesday, March 12th, at 6 p.m. at the Sullivan Civic Center.
Local city and county leaders will be in attendance to explain the environmental impacts of dredging the lake.
