Editing Monroe County, Indiana (section)

==Geography==
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of {{convert|411.32|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|394.51|sqmi}} (or 95.91%) is land and {{convert|16.81|sqmi}} (or 4.09%) is water.<ref name=DC>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US18105|title=Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010|publisher=US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020.|access-date=July 10, 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212200511/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US18105|archive-date=2020-02-12}}</ref> The county terrain is low rolling hills, covered with vegetation and largely devoted to agricultural use or urban development. The eastern part is carved with drainages and gullies, leading to Griffy Lake.<ref>[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Monroe+County,+IN/@39.1145906,-86.561508,32653m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x886c63dd542662c3:0x656ae130695c316c!8m2!3d39.1851445!4d-86.4996546 Monroe County IN (google maps, accessed 20 December 2019)]</ref> The county's highest point is McGuire Benchmark, just NW of Bloomington, at {{convert|994|ft|m|abbr=on}} ASL.<ref>[https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=22991 Monroe County IN (peakbagger.com, accessed 20 December 2019)]</ref>

===Adjacent counties===
{{div col}}
* [[Morgan County, Indiana|Morgan]] (north)
* [[Brown County, Indiana|Brown]] (northeast)
* [[Jackson County, Indiana|Jackson]] (southeast)
* [[Lawrence County, Indiana|Lawrence]] (south)
* [[Greene County, Indiana|Greene]] (southwest)
* [[Owen County, Indiana|Owen]] (northwest)
{{div col end}}

===Bodies of water===
[[File:Griffy Lake - dam drain - DSCF4386.JPG|thumb|Griffy Lake, seen from its dam]]
Monroe County is divided between the basins of the East Fork and West Fork of Indiana's [[White River (Indiana)|White River]].<ref name=CW>[http://bloomington.in.gov/documents/viewDocument.php?document_id=3011#streams Water Basics: Stream] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916035852/http://bloomington.in.gov/documents/viewDocument.php?document_id=3011|date=September 16, 2012}} (City of Bloomington)</ref> The northern part drains to the West Fork; the southern part of the county drains to the East Fork, primarily via the [[Salt Creek (White River)|Salt Creek]] and its tributaries, such as the [[Clear Creek (Salt Creek)|Clear Creek]] (known as the "Jordan River" on [[Indiana University Bloomington]] campus).

Several artificial reservoirs have been constructed by damming the county's creeks. The largest is [[Monroe Lake]], a large reservoir on Salt Creek in the southeastern part of the county. It is used both for recreational purposes and to supply the city with drinking water.<ref name=CW/> Until the late 1960s, the main source of water supply was the smaller [[Lake Lemon]] (constructed 1953), in the northeastern part of the county; it is now the backup water source and is mainly used for recreation.<ref>[http://www.lakelemon.org/ Lake Lemon Conservancy District (LLCD)]</ref>

The third largest is [[Griffy Lake]], on the northern slope of the county. Constructed in 1924 by damming Griffy Creek, it was Bloomington's main water source until 1954; it is now used primarily for recreation although it also serves as an emergency water source.<ref name=CW/><ref>[http://bloomington.in.gov/griffylake Griffy Lake Nature Preserve]</ref><ref>[http://othersideofindiana.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/abandoned-water-sanitation-station-water-pump-bloomington-in/ Abandoned Water Sanitation Station, Water Pump; Bloomington IN] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121225224033/othersideofindiana.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/abandoned-water-sanitation-station-water-pump-bloomington-in/|date=December 25, 2012}}, "The Other Side of Indiana"</ref> In 2012–2013, the lake was drained, the dam repaired, and the lake was refilled.

A smaller lake, [[Weimer Lake|Weimer (Wapehani)]] in the Clear Creek basin, was constructed for water supply purposes, but during most of its history was used purely for recreation - mainly fishing.<ref>[http://bloomington.in.gov/media/media/application/pdf/45.pdf City of Bloomington Environmental Resource Inventory (COBERI)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609084843/http://bloomington.in.gov/media/media/application/pdf/45.pdf|date=June 9, 2013}}</ref> In 2017 authorities revealed plans to drain this lake permanently, as it was considered to be unsafe.<ref>[https://www.heraldtimesonline.com/news/local/city-plans-to-remove-most-of-dam-lake-in-wapehani/article_fed34892-6119-504e-9a53-2efe50c42868.html City plans to remove most of dam, lake in Wapehani bike park]</ref> This was carried out in the summer of 2018.

Limestone has been quarried in Monroe County since 1826.<ref name=lime/>
A number of abandoned [[Indiana Limestone|limestone quarries]] in the county are now cliff-surrounded lakes (as seen in the 1979 film ''[[Breaking Away]]''), stable without ongoing human intervention.

===National protected areas===
[[File:Leonard Springs Reservoir - seen from the dam - DSCF7386.JPG|thumb|The defunct Leonard Springs Reservoir, now inhabited by beavers.]]
* [[Hoosier National Forest]] (part)

===Natural wonders===
* [[Buckner Cave]]
* Leonard Springs Nature Park, where the water of [[Sinking Creek (Indiana)|Sinking Creek]] reappears in springs<ref>[http://bloomington.in.gov/locations/viewLocation.php?location_id=29 Leonard Springs Nature Park] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917221737/https://bloomington.in.gov/locations/viewLocation.php?location_id=29|date=September 17, 2012}}</ref>