Weber Lake Reclamation: Wetlands at Work EarthCache
Hidden : 9/30/2013
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:


Welcome to Weber Lake in Lincoln State Park, Lincoln City, Indiana!


Millions of years ago, when the area that is now called Southern Indiana was located around the equator, it was covered by a mixture of shallow inland seas and swampy areas. The waters eventually receded as the continents shifted locations, leading to the death of most of the tropical plants that existed in the area. As these plants died, they accumulated in layers, forming a carbon-rich material called peat over the next several thousand years. Subsequently, heavy layers of sediment were deposited over the peat, combining pressure and high temperatures to squeeze the water out of the peat and turn it into coal.

Layers of peat formed seams of coal, which were subsequently mined in strip mines throughout Southern Indiana. One such strip mine was located at what it now Weber Lake, which was mined beginning in the 1930s. Other areas of what is now Lincoln State Park were also used for strip mining. This history of mining explains the proximity of the railroad tracks you see around Lincoln State Park. These railroads were instrumental in moving the coal away from the mines to market.


Weber Lake was a direct result of strip mining at the site. How do we know that? The lake itself is the biggest clue. After the coal seam in the area had been mined and then abandoned around 1958, a large hole and a high wall were left behind. The hole eventually filled with water, creating 19-acre Weber Lake. In addition, a great deal of spoil (coal and other materials) was left behind. If you hike along Trail 4 near Weber Lake, you can also see the skeleton of an old weigh scale. Weber Lake became part of Lincoln State Park in 1965.

Unfortunately, the water that filled Weber Lake (from rain, ground water, and surface runoff) made its way through the spoil at the site, resulting in water that was very acidic. In fact, it was so acidic, it had a pH of approximately 3.8—about the pH of vinegar and much higher than the 6.0-8.0 pH range that fish require. The pH, or potential of Hydrogen, is a scientific measure of the relative acidity/alkalinity of a material.

Due to the acidity of the water, no fish, insects, or plants would call Weber Lake home. For years and years, Weber Lake was simply known as a “dead lake.” (That’s approximately 30-million gallons of “dead” water!) In 2001, the Indiana Division of Reclamation, working with the Indiana Division of State Parks and Reservoirs, began an Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Project. The goal of the Project was to reclaim Weber Lake by neutralizing the acidity of the lake water and removing the source of the acidic water, so that the lake could regain its health.

As an initial step, a pump was used to circulate alkaline chemicals throughout the lake, raising the pH level and making the water less acidic. A dock was also constructed at the lake.


After the pH level of the lake was raised sufficiently, the surface level of the lake was lowered in order to install a water-control structure (overflow culvert). The water-control structure allows park staff to raise or lower the level of the lake as needed.


The steep high wall area along the north side of the lake (a remnant of the mining process) was also graded and stabilized to prevent further erosion. Trail 6, which circles the lake, will take you over the high wall, where you’ll get a beautiful view of the lake and the wetlands area.


Even after all of these modifications, the reclamation was not complete. Something would need to be done to address the fact that acidic water could continue to make its way into Weber Lake via surface runoff and groundwater. The solution? A seasonal wetland!

A seasonal wetland area was constructed in the area where water flows into the lake. In the picture below, you can see the levee along the side of the lake, along with the seasonal wetland just beyond it on the right. The water in this area had been a main source of the acidity in the lake, since it flows through the main concentration of spoil before entering the lake. After the wetland was constructed, however, this water now flows through the wetland first. The wetland plants act as bio-filters that remove much of the acidity from the water before it reaches Weber Lake.


Just what is a wetland? The Clean Water Act defines wetlands as "areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.” While wetlands will often include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas, these lands are not necessarily wet year round. In fact, the presence (or absence) of water is not necessarily the best way to identify wetlands, since the presence and/or amount of water will vary depending upon a variety of factors.

Wetlands support a variety of vegetation, including sedge and cattails. Wetlands also provide critical feeding, nesting, and migratory habitats for bird and other wildlife populations in watersheds across the nation. Wetlands are also essential to watershed health, cleaning polluted waters, preventing floods, recharging groundwater aquifers, and protecting shorelines.


The Weber Lake wetland will change in appearance, seasonally and over time. In the rainy spring, it may be swamp-like. At the end of the hot summer, it may be dry as a bone. Even when it appears to be dry, though, the filtering work of the plants continues below the surface. Eventually, plants will die, adding to the alkalinity of the soil in the area, and new plants will colonize the area in their place.

Today, Weber Lake is alive again. Fish of various types and sizes call the lake home, as do a growing community of birds. Spring Peeps, Bullfrogs, and other amphibians have also returned to the area. Weber Lake is a reclamation success story that allows you to see—up close—how a seasonal wetland can actively work to clean water that flows through it before it empties into the lake. I have provided a map below that will help you identify the various features at the site:


Directions: Take IN-162 to Lincoln State Park in Lincoln City. There is usually a fee to enter the park (We highly recommend season passes to all of Indiana’s state parks.) Once you drive past the front gate, follow the map below to the Troy Road Picnic Area, or simply follow your GPSr! There is an additional waypoint listed below that will take you directly to the parking area at the Trail 6 trailhead, which will take you to Weber Lake.


Trail 6 is an easy trail composed of mostly gravel. In fact, it’s quite historic, as it will take you along the remnants of the old Troy-Gentryville Road. A short way into the hike, you will cross railroad tracks at a point known as Rockport Junction. Please watch for trains! The hike to and around Weber Lake and back clocks in at approximately 1.8 miles. The area around the trail consists primarily of old field succession stands of trees, including a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) pine grove. It’s a beautiful walk you’re sure to enjoy.

To Log This EarthCache

[OPTIONAL: Although it’s completely optional, I would love it if you would take a photo of yourself with your GPSr at the approximate listed coordinate (on the dock) with Weber Lake and the seasonal wetlands in the background. Feel free to post any other photos you take of the area, including any interesting plant or animal life you happen to see!]

To demonstrate the educational value of your visit, please email me the answers to the following three questions: (click on the El Pollo Loco Gang link at the top of the cache page to reach our profile, where you will see a link to Send message)

1. How long is the levee that separates Weber Lake from the seasonal wetlands?

[The easiest way to measure this will be to go to the information sign located at the end of the levee closest to the water-control structure and mark a waypoint. Then walk the length of the levee to the opposite end and mark another waypoint. Finally, use your GPSr to navigate to the previous waypoint. It should give you the distance to the previous waypoint (how far you just walked and thus the width of the levee) in hundredths of a mile. This measurement will also be an approximate width of the seasonal wetlands.]

2. What is the approximate rise in elevation from the bank of Weber Lake to the top of the “high wall”?

[The easiest way to measure this will be to use your GPSr’s elevation reading. Hike to the base of the “high wall,” directly across from the Weber Lake dock, next to the informational sign. Note your elevation reading, and then hike to the top of the “high wall,” next to the next informational sign. Note the approximate increase in elevation.]

3. What benefit does the seasonal wetlands provide to Weber Lake?

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