MUNCIE -- The presence of smallmouth bass, crane flies resembling giant mosquitoes, mussels and other species sensitive to pollution indicates the White River is cleaner today than in the early 1970s.
Back then, raw sewage and industrial discharges turned the river red, green, yellow and brown; tires and refrigerators lined the banks, and two feet of industrial/sewage muck covered the bottom of the river instead of sand, gravel and bedrock, according to the Muncie Sanitary District.
"When compared to the past with the industrial pollution, we have improved, but agricultural pollutants and sediment are the big concern now," said Jarka Popovicova, an assistant professor of natural resources and environmental management at Ball State University.
See The state of the White River: Cleaner, but room for improvement from The Muncie Star Press for more.
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