PATOKA LAKE REGIONAL WATER & SEWER DISTRICT

Summary

The District’s water treatment facilities are located one mile south of the Patoka Lake dam on State Road 545.  The treatment facilities consist of an intake structure, raw water mains, and the treatment plants.  Water from the intake structure flows throughout 16 inch and 30 inch transmission mains to the water treatment plant. The raw water is treated using chemicals known as coagulants to react with suspended particles in the water. The water then flows into a mixing and sedimentation basin which provides extended time for chemical reaction as well as clarification by gravity settling. The clarified water flows through dual media filter beds to remove a very high degree of any remaining solids. Following filtration, the water is treated with a final control dosage of chlorine to adjust the residual disinfection concentration. Flouride is added to reduce the insistence of tooth decay in children who drink Patoka’s water. The treated water is stored in an underground reservoir called a “clearwell”.

From the clearwell, water is pumped directly into the distribution system with three high service pumps. A complex network of pipes, booster pumping stations, tanks and reservoirs is necessary to move the water from the treatment facilities to the customer.  Patoka’s distribution system contains about 850 miles of pipe ranging in size from 3-30 inches. In each of the pressure areas, there is at least one tank.  The height of the water in the tank or reservoir determines the pressure in the area.  These facilities ensure a relatively uniform pressure in the supply system with sufficient reserve storage for high demand periods, and an adequate supply of water for emergencies. 

The Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District provides water to 23 water utilities and over 4,400 individual, residential, and commercial customers that otherwise would not be served by a local water utility. Water treated by the District is distributed into parts of 11 Southern Indiana counties. The District’s provision of safe, potable water affects over 31,000 households and businesses in their service area which amounts to over 100,000 people, and eleven (11) industrial parks. 

With many of the area’s municipalities and unincorporated communities traditionally relying on a small man-made reservoirs, small rivers, or low-volume, poor-quality water wells, there was the need for a long-term solution for a safe, reliable potable water supply in this southwestern area of the State.  In addition, the ever-increasing costs and regulations of public water utilities have made the operations of small water utilities progressively more difficult.  Economic and community growth and the subsequent increase in demand for volume, pressure and supply of water have also created demands on small water utilities.  The Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District was formed to meet these demands.

The District’s sewage treatment facilities include an extended aeration process sewage treatment plant, an oxidation ditch, 2 clarifiers, a sludge-holding tank, and a vacuum sludge drying building. The collection system provides service to the Newton-Stewart State Recreation Area, the U.S. Corps of Engineers facilities, the Woodland Hills subdivision, and the communities of Dubois, Celestine, Schnellville and St. Anthony. 

Informational Brief

Patoka Lake, in southwestern Indiana, is an 8,800 acre reservoir located in parts of the counties of Crawford, Dubois, and Orange. The reservoir was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers beginning in July of 1972 and completed in early 1979. Patoka Lake is commonly known for its picturesque natural setting, excellent fishing opportunities, and other recreational resources, as well as for its flood control operations and for the regulation of the level of the Patoka River. It also, however, functions as the region’s major source of potable water supply within an eight-county area consisting of the counties of Crawford, Orange, Dubois, Perry, Spencer, Pike, Gibson and Warrick, and indirectly another three counties consisting of Washington, Daviess, and Martin through the operations of the Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District.
 
The Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District was established in 1975 by the order of the Indiana Stream Pollution Control Board in response to a petition jointly submitted by the counties of Crawford, Dubois, and Orange to protect, as well as utilize, the resources of Patoka Lake. The petition by the local officials was in recognition that the extent and quality of development around the reservoir would depend in large part on the availability of water and sewer infrastructure. The petition also recognized the need of long-term protection of the lake and its water resources from the damaging effects of pollution.
 
The District is governed by a seven member Board of Trustees. Two members are appointed from each of the three participating counties to serve four-year terms. With the seventh member appointed by the Governor to also serve a four-year term.
 
With many of the area’s municipalities and unincorporated communities traditionally relying on a small man-made reservoirs, small rivers, or low-volume, poor-quality water wells, there was the need for long-term solution for a safe, reliable potable water supply in this southwestern area of the State. In addition, the ever-increasing costs and regulations of public water utilities have made the operations of small water utilities progressively more difficult. Economic and community growth and the subsequent increase in demand for volume, pressure and supply of water have also created demands on small water utilities. The Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District has met these demands for many of the water utilities in this area.
 
The original facilities of the District for water supply and wastewater treatment were designed and constructed from 1977 through 1979 based on the District’s utility master plan working in conjunction with Midwestern Engineers, H. J. Umbaugh & Associates, Phillips & Phillips – Attorneys at Law, and Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission. The reservoir was originally designed by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to provide up to 60 million gallons per day for water supply, with the District’s intake structure constructed to provide up to 20 millions gallons per day. Current consumption peaks at over eight (8) million gallons per day.
 
The District has developed its water and sewer infrastructure in phases and now serves twenty-three (23) municipal and not-for-profit water corporations. These water utilities in turn supply an additional eleven (11) water utilities. The District also directly supplies over 4,800 individual, residential, and commercial customers that otherwise would not be served by a local water utility. All total, the District’s provision of safe, potable water affects over 31,000 households and businesses in their service area which amounts to over 100,000 people, and eleven (11) industrial parks including the water supplied to the AK Steel Rockport Works through the Town of Chrisney from the Town of Santa Claus from the original Phase I Water Transmission Main. The District has a jurisdiction of approximately 225 square miles surrounding Patoka Lake, as well as facilities consisting of two water treatment plants, a wastewater treatment plant, eight (8) booster stations, ten (10) water storage tanks, and over 800 miles of water transmission mains.


Staff:

Bruce Heeke, General Manager

Shawn Kluesner, Transmission & Distribution Superintendent

Jerry Allstott, Water Plant (s) Superintendent

Troy Wheeler, Sewer Plant Superintendent

Doug Merkel, Controller

Telephone: 812-678-5781 Toll Free: 1-800-313-5589

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Patoka Lake Regional Water and Sewer District was established in 1975 by order of the Indiana Stream Pollution Control Board in response to a petition jointly submitted by Crawford, Dubois, and Orange counties. The district includes a jurisdiction approximately 225 square miles and is governed by a seven member Board of Trustees. Two board members are appointed from each of the three participating counties; the seventh member is appointed by the governor.

The district was organized for two purposes primarily:
1. To utilize the water supply potential offered by the reservoir
2. To protect the long-term quality of the lake from damaging pollution

Area officials realized that the extent and quality of development around the reservoir would depend in large part on the availability of water and sewer utilities.

Located in the center of the district is an 8,880 acre flood control and recreation lake. Recreation facilities provided include swimming, camping, boating, picnicking, hiking, and other sporting related facilities. Developed recreation areas are Dam, Newton-Stewart, Jackson, and Lick-Fork sites.

The lake’s potential as a source of water supply has been one of its most valuable features. The inadequacy of water resources in much of the area has been a continuing problem, which has functioned to retard growth. Nearly all of the five county areas surrounding the lake have very poor ground water potential. The only exceptions are found in those areas located adjacent to the Ohio River.

Area municipalities have traditionally relied on local man made reservoirs and impoundments as a source of water supply. Unfortunately, many of these impoundment’s never provided a long-term solution to the problem. Furthermore, the continuing need to enlarge such reservoirs has become an increasingly severe financial burden on most localities.

Patoka Lake has provided a long-term solution to this problem. A capability of providing 60 million GPD for water supply purposes was included in the lakes original design parameters.

Since beginning operation in September 1979, the district is providing water directly to twenty-three municipal and rural water utilities, which in turn supply water to an additional ten utilities. The district also supplies water to over 3800 residential and commercial customers. The development of the intake, treatment, storage and distribution facilities was made possible by the foresight of local governmental bodies in cooperation with the State of Indiana, Farmers Home Administration, Economic Development Administration and Corp. of Engineers who approved funds for Phase I, II, III, IV,V,V-A & VI projects. The extent of the district’s water distribution system is shown on the following map.

Access is provided by state highways and Interstate 64. Gas, electrical and telephone utilities are provided by local entities, private and rural corporations.

The topography of the area is hilly, varying from a low elevation of 385 feet to a high of 900 feet above sea level.

Business within the area consist of primarily wood related factories, mills, and activities related to the poultry industry. Recently however, there has been considerable industrial development along or near I-64. The main sources of income are from farming and employment in the factories in Dubois, Jasper, Ferdinand, Paoli, Orleans, French Lick, and Huntingburg and employment in the poultry industry. Business activities directed toward providing services to the large number of tourists visiting the Patoka Reservoir have been expanding in recent years.

SUMMARY OF THE CONSTRUCTION COSTS
FOR THE FACILITIES OF THE PATOKA LAKE REGIONAL WATER AND SEWER DISTRICT

RAW WATER SUPPLY FROM  PATOKA LAKE

ELEVATIONS

Normal Pool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536 Feet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,880 Acres

Flood Pool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .548 Feet. . . . . . . . . . . . . .11,300 Acres



Flood Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 536-548 Feet

Water Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .506-536 Feet


(a) 167,300 acre feet of water storage
(b) 5,451,158,00 acre feet of water storage



Present contract with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources allows up to a maximum of 20 million gallons per day withdrawal. Supplemental agreement to increase this amount may be had on application and mutual agreement by both parties. Present contract is good for 50 years. Contract was approved June 1993.