To the editor:

Help protect the future of Lake Monroe. Give your ideas at the community forum on Tuesday, Jan. 14 from 6:45 to 8:30 p.m. at the Brown County Public Library.

In 1960, Salt Creek was dammed and the building of Lake Monroe began. Residents below a certain elevation were required to leave several small communities, including Elkinsville. It’s now the largest lake in Indiana at 10,750 acres.

Since its completion in 1965, Lake Monroe has prevented more than $38 million in flood damage, or more than twice its original cost of $16.5 million, according to the official Lake Monroe website. It also provides drinking water, primarily for Monroe County, but is also a source in Brown County.

Lake Monroe attracts over a million visitors a year for boating, swimming, fishing, watching sunsets over the water, hiking through trails in the woods, birdwatching and more. But what will the future bring?

Lake Monroe is on the EPA impaired list for algae and mercury. Recreational advisories have been issued at times for swimming and fishing.

Water drains into the lake from five counties: Brown, Monroe, Jackson, Bartholomew and Lawrence. The communities from all these counties in the Lake Monroe watershed have a part to play in protecting Lake Monroe.

There has never been a management plan to help manage and protect Lake Monroe. But now, we have a great opportunity: Friends of Lake Monroe received a grant to develop a management plan for Lake Monroe.

What are your concerns for the lake? Your input is needed. Please join us! Tuesday, Jan. 14, 6:45 p.m., Brown County Public Library, sponsored by the Leagues of Women Voters in Brown County and Bloomington-Monroe County, and Friends of Lake Monroe.

For more information or to register, go to http://www.lwvbrowncounty.org or email [email protected].

Shari Frank, president, League of Women Voters, Brown County

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