About Friends of Lake Monroe
Freshwater ecosystems are a vital component of life and require both protection and appreciation.
Friends of Lake Monroe (FLM) was created in 2016 by Sherry Mitchell-Bruker to support water quality and sustainable recreation in Southern Indiana’s Lake Monroe.
To improve the quality and value of an important local resource FLM is dedicated to promoting data, policy, and collaboration. We work with the lake community, government, and local businesses to protect and enhance Lake Monroe and its watershed.
“Our mission is directed toward water quality.”
— SHERRY MITCHELL-BRUKER, FOUNDER
About the Lake
Lake Monroe was built in 1964 by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Management of the lake and its watershed is a complex combination of federal, state, and private interests. Pursuant to an agreement between the federal and state governments, much of the land immediately surrounding the lake as well as activities on the lake are managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources within its State Park Division. The United States Forest Service also owns land and manages a recreation area on Lake Monroe.
Lake Monroe provides recreational boating, fishing, and swimming opportunities to tens of thousands of people every year and these recreational activities bring significant revenues to local businesses. The lake also provides drinking water to over 130,000 people.
About the WATERSHED
Water quality in Lake Monroe is directly connected to activities in its watershed, the area of land that drains into the lake. Lake Monroe’s watershed is large (441 square miles) and spans portions of Brown, Jackson, and Monroe Counties. Topography is steep, and soil is highly erodible. Over 82% of the watershed is forested and farming is generally limited to the wide valleys of Lake Monroe’s three main tributaries (North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork Salt Creek). The area is largely rural and an estimated 9,000 households are served by on-site septic systems. Pollutants in the watershed such as fertilizer, animal manure, sediment, and septic system leakage are washed into the lake when it rains.
Friends of Lake Monroe published the Lake Monroe Watershed Management Plan in 2022 to identify water quality concerns and present an action plan for addressing those concerns at the watershed level.
