(INDIANAPOLIS) - Indiana is reporting measurable improvement in river and stream water quality in new data submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management says the state assessed 43,657 total miles of rivers and streams through 2026, which it says is more than any other state in the country when adjusted for size.
The report also shows 24.49 additional miles of unimpaired rivers and streams compared to 2024.
Under the federal Clean Water Act, states must update water quality conditions every two years, identifying waterways that are either meeting standards or still considered impaired.
IDEM says Indiana continues to sample a wide range of waterways, including major rivers, smaller streams, lakes and farm ditches, allowing the state to build what officials describe as one of the clearest pictures of water quality in the nation.
The most common causes of impairment in the latest report were E. coli, biological impairment and PCBs found in fish tissue.
State officials say many of the latest gains came from measured reductions in pollutants and restored support for designated water uses such as recreation and aquatic life.
Indiana also says it led the nation last year in documented EPA water quality success stories, with 13 restoration case studies recognized by the agency.
IDEM says those projects highlight measurable improvements driven by local partnerships and community-based restoration work across the state.