It looks like there is a Hoosier Riverwatch Site that was sampled by a volunteer between 2013 - 2020 regularly, but never for E Coli levels, at Southwestway Park. I think I'll survey it soon and add it to my schedule this year. #HoosierRiverwatch #Indiana #HoosierSky #WaterPollution
Feather Run stream in southeast Indianapolis. View on January 1, 2026, looking upstream (southeast).
Feather Run stream in southeast Indianapolis. View on January 1, 2026, looking upstream (southeast).
Happy New Year! It's January 1, 2026. 3:00 PM EST. It's 30F outside without much of a wind chill. This is Feather Run stream that runs through my Indy neighborhood. The water is flowing freely and there are just traces of snow left on the ground. #HoosierSky #Indiana #HoosierRiverwatch
I want to get samples from another nearby stream, and one great site is accessible from the parking lot of a local elementary school. I'm wondering if I should email the school to let them know what I'm doing, even if it would be weekends for the most part? Thoughts? #HoosierSky #HoosierRiverwatch
Map of Feather Run stream, Bunker Creek, and Little Buck Creek in far southeast Marion County, Indiana (Indianapolis). The map shows Hoosier Riverwatch Site #2885 at Feather Run, and Hoosier Riverwatch Site #2360 at Little Buck Creek in Gray Park.
I'm concerned about the E Coli level in the small stream Feather Run in far southeast Indianapolis. This is Hoosier Riverwatch Site #2885, compared to four miles downstream at Little Buck Creek at Site #2360. See comments for details. #HoosierSky #Indianapolis #HoosierRiverwatch #Indiana
Feather Run Stream in far Southeast Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana, on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Looking downstream (northwest).
I've spent the last years trying to find stream testing sites downstream of factory farms in rural South-Central Indiana. What I've been finding is that far SE Indianapolis streams may have the most concerning levels of E Coli, even compared to rural streams. #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky #Indiana
Map of Feather Run Stream and Little Buck Creek. Feather Run flows into Bunker Hill Creek then Little Buck Creek on the Indianapolis far SE side. Site #2885 lies about 4 miles upstream of Site #2360. Past tests have shown that Feather Run has at least 7x more E Coli than Little Buck Creek.
Feather Run flows into Bunker Hill Creek then Little Buck Creek on the Indianapolis far SE side. Site #2885 lies about 4 miles upstream of Site #2360. Past tests have shown that Feather Run has at least 7x more E Coli than Little Buck Creek. Awaiting Saturday's results now. #HoosierRiverwatch
Data taken on Saturday, November 15, 2025, between 2:00 - 2:30 PM EST for Site #2885 #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky
Heavy Metals Test (not reported to the Hoosier Riverwatch)
Iron = No detectable levels
Copper = No detectable levels
Lead = No detectable levels
Mercury = No detectable levels.
Data taken on Saturday, November 15, 2025, between 2:00 - 2:30 PM EST for Site #2885 #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky
Air Temperature = 22.5 C (72.5 F)
Water Temperature = 16.5 C (61.5 F)
Dissolved Oxygen = 8.25 ppm
pH = 8.25
Orthophosphate = 0.3 ppm
Nitrate = 2.20 ppm
Nitrite = 0.495 ppm
Feather Run stream in far SE Indianapolis, Indiana. Hoosier Riverwatch Site #2885. 2:20 PM Sat. Nov. 15, 2025. 5 days after our first accumulating snow of the season / first day spent at or below freezing. It was over 70F and windy and the stream was shallow with a very slow flow.
Feather Run stream in far SE Indianapolis, Indiana. Hoosier Riverwatch Site #2885. 2:20 PM Sat. Nov. 15, 2025. 5 days after our first accumulating snow of the season / first day spent at or below freezing. It was over 70F and windy and the stream was shallow with a very slow flow. #HoosierRiverwatch
Map of Feather Run stream, Bunker Creek, and Little Buck Creek in far southeast Marion County (Indianapolis) Indiana, showing Hoosier Riverwatch sites #2360 and #2885. #2360 lies about four miles downstream of #2885.
There's something interesting going on. Feather Run (Site #2885) had about 1,400 CFU / 100 ml of E Coli bacteria on October 26. Little Buck Creek (Site # 2630, about 4 miles downstream) has only about 215 CFU / 100 ml E Coli bacteria. I'll pursue this. #HoosierSky #Indianapolis #HoosierRiverwatch
Feather Run in southeast Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana. I measured about 1,400 CFU / 100 ml of E Coli in these waters on October 26, 2025. Very unsafe E Coi bacteria levels for drinking or bathing.
Anderson Falls in Bartholomew County, Indiana. November 1, 2025. Even though this lies downstream of lots of factory farms, I measured only about 135 CFU / 100 ml for E Coli. That's unsafe for drinking but actually very safe for swimming / bathing.
There's something interesting / concerning going on here. Feather Run (small stream in suburban SE Marion County) has over 10X the amount of E Coli bacteria as the Fall Fork of Clifty Creek in Bartholomew County, which is downstream of numerous factory farms. #HoosierSky #HoosierRiverwatch #Indiana
My stream water collection site on Sunday afternoon, November 1, 2025. Just a hundred feet or so above the waterfall. My water thermometer and the string attached to it can be seen in the lower right of the photo.
My stream water collection site on Sunday afternoon, November 1, 2025. Just a hundred feet or so above the waterfall. My water thermometer and the string attached to it can be seen in the lower right of the photo. #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky #Indiana #Environment
Great Blue Heron. Just downstream of Anderson Falls in Bartholomew County, IN. Sunday, November 1, 2025.
Great Blue Heron. Just downstream of Anderson Falls in Bartholomew County, IN. Sunday, November 1, 2025. #HoosierSky #HoosierRiverwatch #Indiana #Birding
Anderson Falls. Bartholomew County, Indiana. Sun. Nov. 1, 2025.
Anderson Falls. Bartholomew County, Indiana. Sun. Nov. 1, 2025. Also Hoosier Riverwatch Site #2226 and I did some water testing there. My poor wife put up with me performing the Dissolved Oxygen test and pH measurements from the back seat of our car after we hiked. #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky
I'll be doing an Anderson Falls steam sampling this coming weekend. I haven't been there since May. This area is downstream of one of the most factory-farm-crowded areas in Indiana. #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky #Indiana #SierraClub #FactoryFarmPollution
Feather Run Stream in far Southeast Marion County, Indiana, on Sunday, October 26, 2025, looking downstream to the northwest.
Petri Dish with 0.5 ml water sample from Feather Run after 40 hours incubation showing E Coli colonies (the purple and blue colonies).
Petri Dish with 1.0 ml water sample from Feather Run after 40 hours incubation showing E Coli colonies (the purple and blue colonies).
The results of the E Coli tests from Sunday are in, and Feather Run Creek in far SE Indianapolis had 1,400 CFU (Colony Forming Units) in its water. I've recorded over 5,000 CFU before. Bad but not as bad as some of the samples I've taken in the last 2 years. #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky
Feather Run stream in far southeast Marion County, Indiana. View looking upstream. Water levels were very low, and it had a sluggish current due to our drier-than-normal weather in October so far. October 26, 2025
Two days after our first freeze of the season, I went to Feather Run (stream that runs through our neighborhood) to get some water samples for testing. There was a large dragonfly zipping around over the water that had survived the first short cold snap of autumn! #HoosierRiverwatch #Indiana
Are there any people here from rural areas of Johnson, Shelby, Bartholomew, Decatur counties in IN concerned about stream water pollution from factory farms? Please respond if so. #HoosierSky #Indiana #HoosierRiverwatch #Sierraclub
This is the area I plan to scout out during the coming week. Leatherwood Creek in northern Johnson County, Indiana. Downstream from the factory hog farm. #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky #Environment #WaterPollution
I'm going on a journey later Sunday to scout out a portion of Sugar Creek by a cemetery in Johnson County again and see if it's a good site for stream testing. This is downstream of a few factory farms. Stay tuned! #HoosierSky #HoosierRiverwatch #Indiana
I live in the SE corner of Indianapolis. This is a Factory (Hog) Farm in Johnson County just 3.3 miles SE of my home, and the waste from it has access to Leatherwood Creek. Hopefully I can contact landowners downstream who will let me do water testing. #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky #Indiana
I'll post the rest of the results here as they come in. #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky #Indiana #SierraClub #Environment
Good predawn, all. Sun. Sept. 28, 2025. Fair skies but lots of high fog mucking everything up, so no amateur astronomy tonight. In Indianapolis at 2:00 AM it's 65F with light winds and 76% Humidity. Drying out after a flooding rain 4 days ago. See comments for more. #HoosierSky #HoosierRiverwatch
I'm wondering how many other Hoosiers who are concerned about rural stream pollution know of this website? #HoosierSky #Indiana #HoosierEnvironmentalCouncil #HoosierRiverwatch #TurnIndianaBlue www.hecweb.org/issues/envir...
How can Indiana Democrats / Progressives make inroads with Rural Voters? I have some ideas, but hope to hear from others on this platform. #HoosierSky #Indiana #HoosierRiverwatch
I'm involved with E Coli testing for Hoosier Riverwatch. I ask everyone to check out their site and think about getting involved, regardless of your personal politics ..
#HoosierRiverwatch #Indiana #Waterpollution
Still wanting to connect with rural families in south central Indiana who have streams / creeks running through their properties who are concerned about factory farm water pollution, especially in Shelby, Johnson, and Decatur Counties. DM's are welcome. #HoosierRiverwatch #HoosierSky #Indiana
I am such a nerd that I have reached the point where I keep getting up every hour to check the temperature in my home-made incubator in the back room to make sure it is still 35 degrees Celsius so that my Petri dishes with the stream water samples are growing happily. #HoosierRiverwatch #Indiana
I'm going to spend part of this upcoming three-day weekend focusing attention on a wetlands area in far southeast Indianapolis that's being continually threatened by development. #WetlandsNotWarehouses #HoosierSky #Indiana #HoosierRiverwatch
I'll bring my sample bottles and petri dishes to that location ... #Environment #HoosierRiverwatch
