More than 100 residents attended the third Veolia meeting concerning the central canal stabilization project that was held at Broad Ripple High School on September 14.

Veolia recommended this project to the Indianapolis Water Works board in 2006 and funding for the project was approved in March 2009. The intent of this project is to stabilize the banks of the canal between College Avenue in Broad Ripple down to 52nd Street in Rocky Ripple. Over the 170 or so years that the canal has been around, many forces have worked to erode the banks, changing the straight walls into meandering ones. Those forces include trees that took root in the bank and then died and fell over, taking part of the bank with them, ducks and geese that slide down the banks and muskrats that burrow into the banks causing a later collapse of the dirt into the cavity. The integrity of the canal is vital to Indianapolis as it is the conduit for 60% of the city's water supply.

It was announced at the September meeting that the project scope had been reduced since the August meeting (see BRG Vol 6 #18). The stabilization work will include only the area from College Avenue to Capitol Avenue, leaving the Rocky Ripple section for a later effort.

Other changes since the last meetings include reducing the height that the stone will be visible above the waterline from six feet to two feet, and to replace the stone rip-rap above the waterline with river rock, both to improve the appearance.

Veolia has brought in external consultants to help with permit issues and plant and wildlife concerns. This should address the concerns brought up at a previous meeting about how the project could affect the various turtles living in and around the canal.

Another change to the original project is a delay to begin the work in the spring, instead of this fall. A follow-up meeting is expected in the next few weeks.