A management project in Hoosier National Forest is moving forward after forestry officials found the proposed logging and controlled burns would have no significant impact on Lake Monroe, a drinking water source for more than 145,000 people. The U.S. Forestry Service’s Houston South management plan would allow about 4,300 acres of pine and hardwood trees to be harvested, as well as a prescribed fire regimen on 13,500 acres over about a decade, a move that some fear will cause sediment to move into the lake. Chris Thornton, district ranger of the Hoosier National Forest, said the Houston South plan would take measures to stop soil erosion from reaching the watershed. …The USFS says the management plan will revitalize forest health by reducing stressors. …The Indiana Forest Alliance, Monroe County Board of Commissioners, Hoosier Environmental Council and Friends of Lake Monroe filed a lawsuit in January 2023 claiming the project would degrade Lake Monroe’s water quality.