To create a more drought-resilient water supply for Central Indiana, Citizens Energy Group built the Citizens Reservoir to store and capture excess water from the Geist Reservoir. The 90-acre and 230-foot-deep Citizens Reservoir provides 3.2 billion gallons of additional water storage.
| Action | Applicable Resources |
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Identified water storage opportunities and conducted feasibility studies
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Collaborated with multiple parties to design a feasible plan
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Engaged the public about the project
| The Citizens Reservoir website provides FAQs, informational videos, pictures, and timelines about the reservoir. |
By 2050, the demand for water will increase by 50 million gallons per day in Central Indiana. Although the area receives an average of 42 inches of rainfall per year, the water supply is not always available during periods of drought.
To meet this increased demand and capture excess precipitation, Citizens Energy Group looked for opportunities to add storage volume to their existing water systems. Instead of building a conventional reservoir, which cost between $600 million and $700 million, Citizens Energy Group decided to convert a retired limestone quarry.
In 2013, Citizens Energy Group developed a preliminary plan for the construction of Citizens Reservoir. During this process, they conducted a feasibility study at the quarry site to examine if the limestone walls could store water long-term. Citizens Energy Group coordinated and discussed all phases of the project with the City of Fishers, including planning, construction, and implementation. During the planning and due diligence phase, they worked with the City to explain the purpose of the facility. They also worked with them to determine whether the facility would impact future residential development in the area and whether constraints were needed on the proposed structures and site development.
In 2015, Citizens Energy Group purchased the quarry from the Marina Limited Partnerships and negotiated with the limestone mining company, Irving Materials Incorporated. Citizens Energy Group established an agreement with Irving Materials Incorporated that allowed the company to continue mining until spring 2019. After the feasibility study was completed, Citizens Energy Group continued to iterate the original design and worked with regulatory agencies, such as the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, to obtain construction permits.
Citizens Energy Group coordinated construction timing and impact with the City’s outreach department to help educate the surrounding community about the project. They also developed a webpage that included project FAQs, informational videos, and pictures.
In July 2019, Citizens Energy Group finalized their design with the consulting engineers and began construction on the quarry. They constructed the facility using the agreements with the City, ensuring the reservoir met the original intent. In addition, at different points in the project, they took the mayor and other city officials on site tours to see the progress firsthand. In December 2020, construction on the reservoir was completed.
The Citizens Reservoir functions like a well that transports excess water between the two reservoirs. There is an intake structure that leads to the drop shaft. During periods of excess precipitation, water flows by gravity into the Citizens Reservoir and when supply is needed the pump station sends the water through a discharge pipe back to the Intake/Outlet Structure and downstream into Geist Reservoir.
Citizens Energy Group purchased the 90-acre plot of land for $13 million and spent $17 million constructing Citizens Reservoir. Citizens Energy Group funded the $30 million project using its capital budget.
In 2013, Citizens Energy Group began planning for the reservoir. Construction was started in August 2019 and was completed in December 2020.
Since 30-35 percent of the customer base at Citizens Energy Group is below the poverty-line, a main priority for the company is to remain affordable for their customers. They specifically built the Citizens Reservoir to have the lowest impacts on their water rates.
Compared to Geist Reservoir, the Citizens Reservoir is approximately five percent of the surface area and has the storage capacity to hold ½ of Geist’s total volume.
Since Citizens Energy Group converted a retired limestone quarry, the Citizens Reservoir was affordable and did not directly impact rates for customers. Furthermore, there was a smaller environmental and social impact as the project did not displace and/or flood properties. Furthermore, the reservoir offers an environmental benefit by providing a natural habitat for wildlife.
Apart from the initial preplanning, there were no main challenges presented during the process; construction went smoothly and aligned with the original timeline.
Director of Water Quality, System Control, and Planning Dan Moran said, "Citizens Reservoir is an innovative solution to ensuring the affordable water supplies necessary over the next 25 years to sustain our customers and the economic development of Central Indiana."
These questions are designed to inspire readers—especially those wanting to learn broadly about climate change solutions—to think critically about the case study on this page and encourage deeper, more meaningful conversations. A list of ERIT case studies that include discussion questions can be found on the Resilient Communities Case Studies page.
See how Fredericktown, Missouri Prepares for Climate Change Drought Risk.
