A meeting was called, with short notice, on the subject of the Central Canal and the Broad Ripple dam. It was held at the Broad Ripple Park Family Center on August 24th, 2009. About 40 people attended, many of them having close connections with the canal.

The meeting was organized by Veolia, the company that the City of Indianapolis contracts with for the day-to-day operations of the water supply. Lou Ann Baker, Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs for Veolia, presented a description of Veolia's concerns about the state of the White River dam. This is a low-head dam that forces water from the White River down the canal.

"For a piece of infrastructure, in terms of getting our money's worth, we've done a pretty good job," explained Lou Ann. "The dam itself actually dates to the 1880s. We do routine inspections of the dam, we also do daily inspections of the canal. One of the things that we noticed early this year was the fact that we had some damage to the concrete structure in the face of the dam."

Veolia stated that they are working with experts to formulate a plan for fixing the problems with the dam. At this point they are not sure if the final plan will be do nothing, make repairs, or replace the dam.

The rest of the meeting was on the subject of stabilization of the canal. Milton Keys presented the history of the canal and the problems and planned solutions of the seven mile waterway. The canal first provided drinking water for Indianapolis in 1904. Currently, about 60% of the drinking water for Indianapolis and surrounding communities is delivered to the treatment facility via the canal. The canal banks have eroded over the years, mainly due to ducks and geese sliding down the bank causing erosion, muskrats burrowing in the bank leading to eventual collapse, and trees growing in the canal.

Veolia has developed a solution using FEMA guidelines that will lay a ribbon of coarse gravel in a path extending below and above the waterline along the length of the canal. As this work is done, trees and vegetation would be removed and the meandering bank would be straightened. After a land survey is completed in September, the work is expected to began and is to be complete by the end of the year.

Many attendees were shocked at this plan and expressed their dislike of the gravel solution. They asked if Veolia had looked into other, more attractive solutions that would maintain the look of the canal, which is a landmark dating to 1836, in addition to being a city water conveyance.

"This is not the only meeting we will have. We're going to take what you said back and we're going to review it. Then we will move forward."