“They did have a sailing club that opened in 1955, so gradually some of these restrictions began to lift,” Hahn said. Hahn said boating by permit began in 1953, but even then, people couldn’t use their own boats. They did have a couple areas for picnics, but it wasn’t the kind of recreation area or development that we see today.”
There was no residential development during that time. “When they first opened it, it was restricted as far as what people could use it for - almost a wildwood area,” Hahn said. And that was pretty much its only function for many years. Hahn said the reservoir did what it was intended to do - supplement the water needs for the growing city of Indianapolis. Upon completion, it became the second-largest man-made lake in Indiana. It officially opened for business in 1943, and was named for Clarence Geist, who died before construction even began. Work on Geist Reservoir started in 1941, which included clearing land, building a dam and redirecting water from Fall Creek. That community had been established in 1834, according to its history page on the “This is Fishers” website. The company, led by owner and president Clarence Geist, started buying up what was then mostly farmland in the area surrounding Fall Creek, along with one small community called Germantown. They started looking at land that is now Geist Reservoir.” “The natural supply they were getting from the White River and Fall Creek wasn’t going to be sufficient. “At that time, they did a report looking at the future water needs of Indianapolis,” she said.
She said the reservoir was developed by the Indianapolis Water Co., and planning for the large project started in the late 1920s. Suzanne Hahn is vice president of Archives and Library with the Indiana Historical Society. It was built with a very practical purpose in mind, and recreation was restricted for many decades.
The Geist Lake Coalition is hoping to get more homeowners on board to donate to the treatment program.Geist Reservoir is a place for summer outdoor fun, with boating, fishing and swimming opportunities. Leach said they want to fish on the weed beds, but when the treatment product goes into the reservoir, it impacts those areas, making it harder to find fish. Hall warns that if the algae in Geist becomes toxic, it could also impact the property values in the area.
#Fishing geist reservoir skin
At high levels, it can also cause skin irritation, according to Citizens Energy.įurther complicating the issue is the people fishing on Geist. The algae can create a bad smell, which affects the taste of the water. That organization will determine if a warning needs to be issued to the public for recreational use. If levels get dangerously high, Citizens Energy will send the information to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. You can't boat."Ĭitizens Energy owns Geist Reservoir and monitors the water, watching for high algae levels. "If this was to turn toxic, you wouldn't be able to use the reservoir. "It's very concerning," Brian Hall, the Geist Lake Coalition president, said.
#Fishing geist reservoir professional
The Geist Lake Coalition hires professional applicator companies that treat the algae and other vegetation with a copper-based product, Leach said.īut algae can grow back in a week or less. The Geist Lake Coalition pays for the treatment for the reservoir, through residents contributing every year. Joey Leach, a biologist from the Department of Natural Resources, said the reservoir is treated between the months of May and September. Homeowners who live around Geist Reservoir are concerned about algae and invasive weeds growing in the water.
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