Since the removal of Markle Mill Dam in October of 2023, Brendan Kearns, director of the Vigo County Soil and Water Conservation District, has found that the health of the creek and the fish in it near the old dam site have improved. Here, Kearns kneels next to the creek April 30 and points out adjacent clay material that he said could be from sediment that came downstream 200 years ago at the creek near Markle Mill Park. Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza
A number of Vigo County residents were upset when Commissioners said the Markle Mill Dam on Otter Creek would have to be demolished. Those protesting said doing so would diminish and discredit the area’s history.
Instead, Otter Creek is enjoying a far healthier future, said Brendan Kearns, director of the Vigo County Soil and Water Conservation District.
After the dam was demolished in October of 2022, Kearns took a fish count — there weren’t many nearby given how stagnant the water was, he said.
“Almost all of them were in bad shape,” he said. “They had deformities, they looked sick, and that was attributed to the water being stagnant. Chemicals and E. coli were trapped in there, and low oxygen levels made the fish very unhealthy.
“Now, you have a wonderful creek,” he added, standing on the creek’s edge in Markle Mill Park. “This is probably what it looked like in 1809 right before the dam was built in 1811.”
The returning fish “shows me that this water is healthier,” Kearns said. “The fishing here has been great for small species. I’ve been out here many times, both professionally and recreation-wise with my family.” A recent test for E. coli in the creek showed vast improvement, Kearns said, but “It’s still not quite where I’d say it was safe to have a glass of that water.” He also advised against walking through the creek barefoot.
Still, Kearns said the health of Otter Creek is on the upturn, and he attributes that to the dam’s removal.
And the water isn’t the only thing that has improved at Markle Mill Park.
“Look at the demographic change here, too,” Kearns said. “Let’s all be realistic — Markle Mill Park was a sketchy area. I’d fish northwest of the bridge and I would get approached by people I simply didn’t want to meet. That creeped me out and ruined my experience.
“Now, you don’t see that element here — you see families out enjoying it,” he continued. “The main advantage of this project is the fact that there’s a new recreation area to go to — a place that they can go to and feel safe and see an incredible area like this that is pretty unique.”
Kearns said when he’s next to the creek, he enjoys watching kids flip rocks over to discover critters. “That’s pretty d- — awesome,” he said.
“We’re excited to see more of the community enjoying the park, which is exactly what the Commissioners were looking for,” said Vigo County Commissioner Chris Switzer.
“We have met every commitment so far, including better parking, playground equipment and signage to preserve the park’s rich history.”
Markle Mill Dam was originally built as a wood crib dam in 1817 to power a gristmill, but it was reconstructed using concrete to create a low-head dam in 1910.
In 2020, the county was informed by the state that the dam was in a precarious state and needed to either be rebuilt (at tremendous cost) or be torn down.
Fans of the dam decried the options, but Commissioner Mark Clinkenbeard said there was really one option: demolishing it.
“In fact, it is not a matter of if the dam fails, but when,” he said, adding, “the dam serves no practical use now.”
Kearns said, “I knew there were going to be a lot of emotional issues tied to this,” so he worked on ways to lessen the blow. The most visible manifestation is retaining memories of the dam, leaving sections of the dam on display so that people could still see it.
Equally important was Kearns reaching out to stream ecologist Jerry Sweeten of the Ecosystems Connections Institute, who assured residents who feared the effects of removing the dam on fishing that it would in fact improve fishing.
“I interviewed three companies, and Jerry said the right things,” Kearns said. “We selected Jerry Sweeten, mainly because his focus is to improve the habitat in general.”
“We do research on every stream,” said Sweeten, whose institute has taken care of 17 dams with another four in the hopper. “The pool behind the dam is more like a lake than a stream, and fish want to be in streams. As soon as we removed the dam, more fish were swimming in the area — they were swimming around our feet.”
“The best thing to happen to Otter Creek was removing the dam and opening the creek for fish and wildlife to travel,” Switzer said.
“It was important for the community to know Markle Mill Dam was never used for flood control. Jerry did a great job helping us explain that,” Switzer said.
Switzer added, “Kearns has mentioned several times to the commissioners personally, how healthy, clean and safe Otter Creek is. Kearns played an integral role when serving as commissioner and in his new position.”
As Kearns knelt next to the creek and pointed out adjacent clay material that he said could be from sediment that came downstream 200 years ago — they looked like rocks but were easily crumbled — he said that other dams like Markle Mill could soon face the same fate.
“As we learn more about removing low-head dams and the benefits of it, you’re going to see it be more aggressive throughout the state,” he said.
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