Central Canal

Built between 1836 and 1839, the Indiana Central Canal is now an important part of the water supply of Indianapolis. The Central Canal is both a vintage remnant of 19th Century Indiana and a modern mid-city escape along gentle waters and into quiet woods. ROW is focused on the entire Central Canal from its start in Broad Ripple down to the drinking water plant near 16th Street which includes the Midtown and the Northwest Area Quality of Life Plan communities.

Central Canal Initiatives

Community Fishing Initiative

This project brings together direct access to fishing licenses, food safety education, and environmental justice visioning facilitated by Groundwork Indy and The Learning Tree in the Riverside area.

Youth River Guide Training

Groundwork Indy and Friends of White River teamed up to provide waterway skills to neighborhood youth, preparing them in outdoor leadership. Check out the video, Reconnecting Riverside.

Public Art Connection

This partnership with The Reclaim Project and The daVinci Pursuit is bringing large-scale artworks to create places along the Canal, enhance new trails, and increase connection with Riverside Park.

C-LEAP & Lead

The Community-Led Environmental Action Plan (C-LEAP) seeks to increase environmental awareness to support a sustained, transparent, and effective community-led drive towards environmental justice. Central Canal is screening drinking water for lead and providing filtration systems.

Committee File Cabinet

Quick Waterway Facts

Community Resources

Meeting Minutes

Maps

Plans

2018-2020 Central Canal Work Plans

Physical Facts

The length of the Central Canal is roughly 8 miles.
Types of turtles found along the Canal include: Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentine), spiny softshell turtle (Apolone spinifera), painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), common map turtle (Graptemys geographica), common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) and red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta).

Historical Facts

Construction of the Central Canal began in 1836, but the Panic of 1837 eventually bankrupted the project and it was stopped in 1839.
A Canal system totalling 296 miles was planned to run from Peru, Indiana to Evansville, Indiana.
In the late 1960s, construction of Interstate 65 forced a section of the Canal underground.

Community Facts

Organizations like Groundwork Indy, The Reclaim Project, The Learning Tree, and Tear Down the Walls Ministries work along the Canal to enhance quality of life through youth development, public art, storytelling, and housing development.
Riverside Civic League and partners like Ignite Achievement Academy work with this committee in the waterway neighborhoods.