The IWRA’s Spring 2001 Meeting was held at French Lick Springs Resort in Southern Indiana. On Thursday, June 21, the IWRA went on a day-long field trip to visit water resources related sites of interest.

Tracy Branam of the Indiana Geological Survey led the group on a tour of a surface coal mine reclamation site where acid mine drainage is occurring. Then the group saw and heard about some restoration work at Augusta Lake designed to mitigate the effects of acid mine drainage that makes its way to the lake, and saw the poor condition of Augusta Lake dam. After lunch, the group was given a driving tour of the developing Patoka National Wildlife Refuge area. We finished the day with a tour of the water treatment plant of the Patoka Lake Regional Water and Sewage District.

On Friday, water resources issues were put aside as the group took a tour of the restored West Baden Springs hotel.

Photos of these events, taken by Dave Nance and Ken Luther, can be viewed by clicking the links below:

• • At the site of the abandoned coal mine:
    • Tracy Branam leads the IWRA through a vast stretch of wilderness
    • The IWRA stagger through the unrelenting backcountry
    • Tracy discusses acid mine drainage and shows the effects of iron precipitate in the discharge
    • Another view of the discharge channel
    • Tracy demonstrates the art of shadow puppets
    • Tracy instructs IWRA members to NEVER do what he’s about to do
    • Tracy climbs down into the acid mine drainage discharge trench
    • Horrified IWRA members look on as Tracy is swept downstream
    • The IWRA rushes into action, moving down to the drainage discharge pond
    • The acid mine discharge carries Tracy down this rock outcrop
    • The discharge pond
    • Another view of the discharge pond
    • Where’d Tracy go?
    • The IWRA discusses who gets Tracy’s prime front row bus seat on the ride to the next destination
    • The pond itself discharges through this outlet pipe. Maybe we’ll find Tracy later
  • At the Augusta Lake Dam:
    • The IWRA listens to a discussion about projects underway to help make the lake less acidic from mine drainage
    • Some IWRA members are brave enough to walk across the top of the vegetated Augusta Lake dam. Let’s hope it holds!
    • Here is the intake for the spillway
    • Here is the spillway on the downstream side of the dam
    • Another view of the spillway
  • At the Patoka Lake Water Treatment Plant:
    • IWRA members nonchalantly decide whether playing Poohsticks in the settling basin is a good idea or not
    • IWRA members get to see the operational center of the treatment plant, and some wonder which knob illuminates the Bat Signal
  • At the West Baden Spring resort:
    • A tour guide tells us that the resort is selling for only 35 million dollars
    • If we buy it, they’ll throw in this fountain for free!
    • New headquarters for the IWRA? (This was the largest free-standing dome in the world until the Houston Astrodome was built in 1963)
    • IWRA members argue over who gets office space on the top floor when we buy the place
    • Look, it’s Tracy!! He explains that the discharge from the coal mine site carried him all the way to West Baden, and dropped him off in this fireplace! Darn Karst topography!
    • Happy that the IWRA is safely reunited, Tim Kroeker gives a command solo performace in the center of the atrium