Geist Reservoir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Geist Reservoir |
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 Geist Reservoir
Location in Indiana
Geist Reservoir
Location in the United States
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| Location | Indianapolis / Fishers, Indiana |
| Coordinates | 39°55′37″N 85°57′36″W / 39.927°N 85.96°W |
| Type | Reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Fall Creek |
| Primary outflows | Fall Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 1,890 acres (7.6 km2) |
| Water volume | 6,100,000,000 US gal (0.023 km3) |
Geist Reservoir is a large, man-made lake in Indiana, United States. It is located near the cities of Indianapolis and Fishers. This important reservoir was built in 1943 by building a dam across Fall Creek. Its main purpose is to supply drinking water for the people living in Indianapolis. When it was finished, Geist Reservoir was the second-largest man-made lake in Indiana. It could hold about 6.9 billion gallons of water.
The reservoir is mostly in the northeast part of Indianapolis and the southeast part of Fishers. However, smaller parts of the lake also reach into nearby towns like Lawrence, Fortville, and McCordsville.
History of Geist Reservoir
Geist Reservoir is named after Clarence H. Geist. He used to own the Indianapolis Water Company. Mr. Geist was very smart and realized that Indianapolis would soon need more water than it had. He came up with the idea for Geist Reservoir to make sure there would always be enough water for everyone.
Planning for the reservoir started way back in 1913. Engineers figured out that the White River and Fall Creek wouldn't be able to provide enough water as Indianapolis grew. So, in the 1920s and 1930s, Clarence Geist slowly bought about 5,000 acres of land in the Fall Creek Valley. This land included a small town called Germantown, which is now at the bottom of the reservoir!
Building the reservoir was a bit controversial, but it was finished in 1943. This was five years after Clarence Geist passed away. Later, in the 1960s, there were more disagreements about building homes and businesses around the lake. In the 1970s, a plan to make the reservoir three times bigger was stopped. After that, many new homes were built in the area around the lake.
In recent years, the area around Geist Reservoir has grown very quickly. People love the beautiful landscape and the lake itself. However, the reservoir has faced some challenges. These include too many algae blooms (which are like green slime on the water) and unwanted plants and animals that are not native to the area.
Today, the water company and Geist Reservoir are owned by a group called Citizens Energy Group.
About Geist Reservoir
The Geist Reservoir Dam is located at the southern end of the lake. Fall Creek flows into the lake from the north. When the lake gets too full, the extra water flows back into Fall Creek at the south end. The dam is made of earth and is about 40 feet tall. It stretches for about 1,900 feet.
The reservoir can hold a lot of water, but it's actually quite shallow in most places, usually 10 feet deep or less. The deepest part of the lake is near the dam, where it is about 26 feet deep. The very deepest spot in the entire reservoir is about 48 feet.
Geist Reservoir covers about 1,900 acres of land. It spreads across three different counties in Indiana: Marion, Hamilton, and Hancock. The area around the lake has developed a lot, and many valuable homes now sit along the waterfront.
Citizens Reservoir: A New Water Source
In 2019, Citizens Energy Group started a new project. They began turning an old limestone quarry next to Geist Reservoir into an extra reservoir called Citizens Reservoir. This new reservoir is located near the southern shore of the north end of Geist.
Citizens Reservoir covers about 88 acres and is very deep, about 220 feet! When it's finished, it will hold about 3 billion gallons of water. This new reservoir will help manage water levels. When Geist Reservoir is full, up to 100 million gallons of water a day can be sent into Citizens Reservoir instead of just flowing over the spillway. Then, when needed, up to 30 million gallons of water a day can be pumped back from Citizens Reservoir into Geist.
The limestone quarry used to be owned by Irving Materials Inc. and was used for 50 years before it closed in 2018. Citizens Energy is spending over $20 million on this important project to secure more water for the community.
