LAGRANGE, Ind. -- ABC57 tagged along with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as they removed nearly 70,000 gallons of sediment from Adams Lake in LaGrange County. It's an expensive and lengthy process.

For years, sediment has been building up in Adams Lake.

The sediment creates a number of challenges for Doug Nusbaum with the Indiana DNR Lake and River Enhancement Program.

This year, more than $500,000 was set aside to clean up local waterways.

Without it, boaters risk injury and invasive species are allowed to thrive.

"It could take two to three years from planning until they actually get to this spot right here where they're dredging," said Nusbaum.

This month, three football fields worth of debris will pass through a pipe. From there it is emptied into a catch basin where some of the phosphorous-rich material can be used in farming.

"The projects we started in 2006, none of them have filled back in. We're hoping to get 50 to 80 years out of each dredging project," said Nusbaum.

That's a good thing because they have a long list of waterways that need help.

"We usually see probably about $1.5 million to $2 million in requests. We're only able to fund about half of the applications we get," said Nusbaum.

The DNR chose 37 projects this year for dredging and vegetation removal.

A majority of those are happening in LaGrange and Kosciusko counties.