The Indiana Clean Lakes Program was created in 1989 as a program within the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's (IDEM) Office of Water Management. The program is administered through a grant to Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) in Bloomington. The Indiana Clean Lakes Program is a comprehensive, statewide public lake management program having five components:
- Produce and distribute the quarterly Water Column newsletter
- Sponsor the annual Indiana Lake Management Conference
- Prepare informational brochures
- Prepare lake assessment reports
- Conduct training and informational workshops
- Assist lake associations with interpreting water quality data
- Attend lake association meetings
- Present programs to lake associations
- Citizen volunteers monitor water transparency on 80 Indiana lakes
- Volunteers in an expanded program collect monthly samples for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll a analysis
- Conduct routine assessments of water quality on Indiana lakes
- Identify regional and/or temporal patterns in lake data
- Identify lake conditions that warrant further attention
- Work with other state and federal agencies to coordinate efforts and enhance the protection of Indiana lakes