After Indiana experienced drought conditions in 2010 and 2012, the City of Batesville hired Lochmueller Group (Lochgroup) to study its water supply and develop the best options for adding capacity. The study reviewed construction cost and environmental, social, and regulatory impacts associated with various alternatives. One alternative explored included combining two separate, nearby reservoirs to increase the total storage capacity.
Batesville’s water supply is currently contained in five reservoirs and one, Mollenkramer Reservoir, could hold considerably more water if it were dredged. That proved to be the most cost-effective answer to increasing capacity. Lochgroup designed the hydraulic dredging of the 36-acre reservoir that will increase its storage from 25 to 40 mg in a series of four phases.