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St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative Text-Only Website
The Cedar Creek Watershed Management Plan (WMP) was funded by a Section 319 grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). The plan was completed and approved by IDEM in 2005.
In 2006, the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative received a grant for $465,000 to begin implementation of the Cedar Creek WMP. Funding to complete several projects is included in this grant, which is scheduled to end in November of 2008. The project’s area of implementation includes the Upper and Lower Cedar Creek subwatersheds Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) numbers 04100003080 and 04100003090.
Among the projects supported by the grant are:
Cedar Creek Watershed: Water Quality Begins With You!
BMP Contact Pamphlet for Allen, DeKalb, Noble Counties
buffers/filters document:
Grass Filter Strips |
Benefits of Buffers |
Economics of Conservation Buffers
wildlife & biodiversity Kid’s quiz and answer sheet
November, 11, 2006 septic workshop: Brochure | Report
Additional septic information can be found at Purdue University
April 14, 2007 urban landowner workshop: Brochure | Report
March 20, 2007 post-construction workshop: Brochure | Report
Bacteria Source Tracking Report
Creation of a Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for two sub-watersheds, the Lower St. Joseph and the Bear Creek (Indiana) is being led by the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative. The project is funded by a Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 205(j) grant (ARN A-305-5-73) that was awarded to the City of Fort Wayne Water Utilities Department, and subcontracted to the SJRWI.
Begun in June, 2005, the grant is scheduled to end in June, 2007. The project includes creation of the LSJ-BC Watershed Management Plan as well as a ranking system that helps to determine priority for placement of future conservation practices, and creation of maps and other documents that will assist local government in their efforts to protect and enhance the watershed.
Stakeholder input is critical to watershed plans. The public is encouraged to participate in quarterly stakeholder meetings conducted by the SJRWI.
This watershed planning project also includes an effort to recruit, train and support local citizen volunteer water quality monitors. The SJRWI offers basic training for the Hoosier Riverwatch citizen volunteer monitoring program, which is aimed at increasing public awareness of water quality issues and concerns. The SJRWI sponsors quarterly support events for trained volunteers, and has four complete quality monitoring kits available for use by trained volunteers.
Through the Hoosier Riverwatch program, we provide education and training on watersheds and the relationship between land use and water quality. We promote responsible stewardship of water resources. Results of Hoosier Riverwatch water quality monitoring is made available to citizens and government officials working to protect rivers and streams on the Hoosier Riverwatch website.
Maps of the Lower St. Joseph and Bear Creek (IN) watersheds
Map of Lower St. Joseph-Bear Creek placement in the SJR watershed.
Lower St. Joseph – Bear Creek Watershed Management Plan
Stakeholder meetings:
September 19, 2006
|
August, 24, 2006
|
December 14, 2006
|
Working on our Watershed
This project, often called the St. Joseph Conservation Tillage Project, is funded by a Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 319 grant through the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. We are currently in the second phase of this project; the first phase was completed in the spring of 2006.
Stakeholders from the entire three-state region of the St. Joseph River watershed are eligible for projects funded by this grant. The amount of conservation tillage in the watershed is measured by tillage transects.
The Nutrient, Pesticide and Sediment Reduction Project has two main thrusts. The first is a cost-share program which offers up to $3,000 to agricultural producers who commit 100 acres of productive row crop land to high-residue conservation tillage for a period of five years. The money will reimburse producers who
The second is an equipment rental program for conservation tillage equipment. Our equipment is available for rent at reasonable prices so that producers can try it out on their own acres.
Contact Allen County SWCD Greg.lake@IN.nacdnet.net or jason.buuck@IN.nacdnet.net for more information or to schedule use of this equipment.
Phase I (ARN 02-502) final report
Further information about the methodology and statistical reliability of the cropland roadside survey method is available on the Conservation Tillage Information Center (CTIC) website.
Select a link below to continue:
History
The Source Water Protection Initiative (SWPI) began in 2001 as a
five-year agricultural water quality and pesticide monitoring project under the
national leadership of America’s Clean Water Foundation and under the local
leadership of three watershed associations in Ohio, Indiana and Missouri.
At its inception, the focus of the SWPI was to
Agencies Involved
In Indiana, the SWPI project is under the local leadership
of the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative, which is working with researchers
from the USDA- Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the USDA – Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), the Allen and DeKalb County Soil and Water
Conservation Districts (SWCD), Purdue University, and the City of Fort Wayne.
Study Area
The St. Joseph River watershed (located in the Western Lake Erie
Basin) was selected for the project because it is the drinking water source for
the City of Fort Wayne and its nearly 250,000 citizens. The St. Joseph River
Watershed Initiative, with the guidance from the ARS, SWCD, and NRCS, selected
the 11,200-acre Matson Ditch watershed and the 12,000-acre Walter Smith Ditch
watersheds for the paired study area. This area lies in north central DeKalb
County near the city of Waterloo.
In 2003, the 1385 hectares David Link Ditch was added to the project area because dredging activities that were taking place on the Walter Smith Ditch would impact the data collected from that site. The Smith Ditch remained in the study area, and is particularly important in evaluation of water quality in situations where stream beds have been disturbed.
In 2005, the SWPI area also became a study area for the CEAP (Conservation Effects Assessment Project). The focus of the CEAP is to assess and quantify the effects and benefits of USDA conservation programs. ARS is conducting a Watershed Assessment Study (WAS) focusing research on the SWPI area. This project is designed to monitor water quality parameters and assess conservation effects at the St. Joseph River watershed, which is one of the 12 benchmark watersheds selected as a part of the ARS Watershed Assessment Study.
By 2006, the America’s Clean Water Foundation had disbanded and was no longer associated with the SWPI project in the St. Joseph River watershed.
St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative Efforts
The St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative provides staff to
maintain 15 automated ISCO water quality samplers and collect samples daily from
April through November. The SJRWI has also contracted with local utilities to
provide electrical service to the sampling sites, and has arranged outreach
education events and meetings with local agricultural producers. The SJRWI
collects field input data from the producers to help support research, and has
provided cost-share assistance and other incentives to producers for the
installation of BMPs where possible.
Current Research
In order to improve water quality and protect drinking
water, researchers from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the National
Soil Erosion Research Laboratory (NSERL) are working in the St. Joseph River
Watershed in Indiana to identify best management practices (BMPs) that will
reduce soil erosion and the amount of nutrients and chemicals in surface water
runoff.
Scientists from National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory continue to work with other government agencies, conservation districts, watershed associations, and land owners and producers in the St. Joseph River Watershed to educate and provide technical assistance for the acceptance of BMPs.
The SWPI research project is located in the upper Cedar Creek watershed in DeKalb County, IN. To characterize the relationship between water quality, weather, site conditions and management practices; 12 water quality sampling stations and 5 real-time, web-accessible weather and flow and soil condition monitoring stations have been installed in the St. Joseph River Watershed.
The research area includes a variety of crop and soil types that go through different agricultural and water management practices. Distinguishing water quality in runoff from different site conditions and agricultural treatments help identify which land management practices are most effective at protecting water resources.
Findings from the ARS are distributed to educate government agencies, citizen groups and private landowners on the environmental and economic benefits of putting conservation programs into practice.
In order for SWPI/CEAP to proceed, cooperation from local entities has been very important. This cooperation has resulted in over three years of high quality research, indicating that the stakeholders are concerned about the sustainability of their production systems and the quality of the environment.
National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory, West Lafayette, Indiana
Select a link below to continue:
History of The Project
The St. Joseph Watershed Project: Developing an implementation plan for
protecting and restoring wildlife habitat and water quality using a cooperative
conservation approach.
This project is intended to operate in the context of an ecosystem approach to
conservation in the region at a landscape scale, through the complementary
efforts of area conservation organizations, government agencies and local
communities.
Goals of the Project:
Support
The Nature Conservancy’s Upper St. Joseph River Project is implementing this project, along with partners The
St. Joseph River
Watershed Initiative and the
Indiana State
Department of Agriculture under a funding
agreement from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. This project is
supported through funding from the Cooperative Conservation Partnership
Initiative of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Rapid Watershed Assessment (RWA)
A broad range of partners participated in the development of this rapid assessment method, including a technical committee which incorporated representatives of the county Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Natural Resource Conservation Service district conservationists, The Nature Conservancy, and Fish & Wildlife Service biologists. Retired Tri-State University biology professor Dr. Pete Hippensteel directed the project. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) assistance was provided by the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative subcontractor Scott Gibson, research assistant with the IPFW Biology Department’s Center for Reptiles and Amphibians.
An extensive review of existing data resources was made for the assessment process. These included the 2001 National Land Cover Dataset, National Hydrography Dataset high resolution stream layers, HUC sub-watershed boundaries; historic water quality data (bacteria, turbidity, and Atrazine) from the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative’s monitoring program; and species occurrence data from the National Heritage Database.
The digital land cover database was utilized to obtain three data sets: The amount of cropland (row crops) in each subwatershed, the amount natural vegetation within each subwatershed, and the amount of woodland within a 30-meter buffer on each side of the stream. Each dataset was used as a ranking layer. (For further information regarding this process, see the St. Joseph CCPI Methodology.)
Watersheds are delineated, located and sized by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUC). Both the HUC-11 subwatersheds and the smaller HUC-14 subwatersheds were ranked for this conservation study, using available data in a process that compared them to each other. The St. Joseph River watershed contains nine HUC-11 watersheds and 55 HUC-14 subwatersheds. The ranking process results in the most highly polluted or degraded watersheds having the highest scores. Ranking of the St. Joseph HUC-11 watersheds found Fish Creek and the West Branch in the best shape, and the Middle St. Joseph subwatershed having the most problems.

Ranking of the HUC-14 watershed utilized only the land use data since water quality and species data are not equally available for all of these subwatersheds. Using the three ranking criteria of cropland in the watershed, natural vegetation in the watershed and woodlands in the buffer zone, the fifty-five HUC 14 subwatersheds were compared to each other. The watershed map below shows the result of this ranking process.

More detailed, interactive maps in pdf format, organized by subwatershed and
by county, are available under the MAPS section of this
page. The maps have layers of cities, streams and roads that can be clicked on
and off.
Using the RWA for Conservation Placement
The final selection of sub-watershed for the placement of conservation practices
can be based on a variety of natural resource management approaches. One such
approach is to “protect the best and restore the rest.” Whether the plan focuses
on the highest quality subwatershed for protection (of the best) or the lowest
quality subwatersheds for restoration (of the rest), conservation investments
should be based on practices that provide the most water quality and habitat
benefits. Since most of the land in this watershed is privately owned, willing
landowners and available resources also influence the selection process.
Additional decisions about conservation planning can be completed at the local
level. County conservation districts know many of their rural landowners and can
use aerial mapping and windshield surveys to further refine areas in need of,
for example, conservation buffers.
Local Ranking
With some additional analysis, local entities such as the Soil and Water
Conservation Districts, can determine potential benefits of various conservation
practices and sites. The following chart outlines the critical criteria for
evaluating the placement of riparian buffers in the priority watersheds.
Riparian buffers are vegetated plots, 20 to 60 feet in width, along the side of
a waterway. The buffer serves as a barrier between cropland and the waterway,
effectively filtering out agricultural chemicals, nutrients and sediment before
storm runoff reaches the stream. The relative values on the following chart are
based on information from the review of numerous scientific articles.
Criteria for buffer placement: |
High |
Value |
Medium |
Value |
Low |
Value |
Stream Order: |
1st or 2nd |
8 |
3rd |
2 |
>3rd |
1 |
Current Land Use: |
Row Crops |
6 |
Hay or Pasture |
2 |
CRP |
1 |
Type of Tillage: |
Conventional |
8 |
Mulch till |
2 |
No-till |
1 |
Soil Type: ____________ |
HEL |
4 |
>.28K value |
2 |
< .28K |
1 |
Slope in Buffer Zone |
6% |
6 |
2 to 6% |
3 |
< 2% |
1 |
Stream or Ditch |
Direct surface |
8 |
Unstable |
4 |
Berm or |
1 |
In-Field Hydrology |
No tile inlets |
6 |
Visible tile |
3 |
Extensive tile drains |
1 |
Connectivity – expansion of existing habitat |
Forests or wetlands |
6 |
Grasslands |
2 |
Cropland |
0 |
Livestock type: ____________ |
Observed stream impact |
6 |
Fenced Out |
2 |
Nutrient Plan |
1 |
Total of all selected values: |
58 - 42 |
|
41 - 25 |
|
24 - 8 |
|
Criteria used in this analysis can be evaluated from quality aerial
photographs from NRCS or Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices, or sometimes from
county GIS websites. Google Earth has adequate photos for some portions of the
United States. Potential priority sites can be further examined with the
landowner to fine tune the design of the conservation practice.
For further review and discussion, contact The Nature Conservancy’s Upper St.
Joseph River Project Office (260-665-9141).
LIVESTOCK SURVEY
A survey instrument was created by the SJRWI and the technical advisory committee to support a windshield survey of livestock in the watershed. Funding was supplied by the Ohio DNR as part of the overall St. Joseph Conservation Planning effort.
Although livestock data is available from the USDA Ag Statistics, it is organized by county rather than by watershed. Because of this, the livestock data by watershed is not easily determined. In order to capture this information, the advisory committee devised an instrument that included a spreadsheet connected to a GIS mapping product. This instrument was used to count or estimate numbers and record types of livestock operations, as well as mark their location on a watershed map. No landowner names were used on the survey, only general locations of and types of animals that could be viewed from a windshield tour were recorded onto a laptop computer.
Every roadway in the watershed was driven by SJRWI ag technician Jason Buuck and/or St. Marys Watershed coordinator Clint Nester (Allen County). SWCD employees in each county accompanied these two staff members, guiding the road-by-road watershed tour and supplementing information observed in the field with local knowledge of their counties. Types of observed livestock and their estimated numbers were recorded, along with their general location vis-à-vis the roadway, on a GIS map referenced to the spreadsheet.
This livestock database was used to create a map that graphically shows the location and density of various types of livestock and other domesticated animals. Pets (dogs, cats) were not counted in this survey.
St. Joseph River Watershed Livestock survey map
WHAT DOES THE LIVESTOCK MAP TELL US?
The survey data and maps are useful for NRCS, conservation districts, and conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and the St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative, to help target educational outreach and financial support to livestock operators in order to improve land and water quality. Conservation practices that might be encouraged for livestock owners and landowners include nutrient management planning, rotational grazing, fencing livestock from streams and waterways, devising alternative watering facilities, proper application of manure, and buffering of heavy use areas.
Interesting results of the survey included the number of non-traditional animals in the watershed. Besides the traditional livestock operations of horses, beef cattle, dairy cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, donkeys, chickens, ducks and turkeys, the survey found alpaca, llama, emu, buffalo, pheasant, pigeon, reindeer, deer, elk, and one zebra.
Of the estimated total of 55,047 animals counted during the survey, 99% were traditional types of livestock for the Midwest area. Beef cattle made up approximately 22% and dairy cattle, slightly over 15%. Horses and donkeys accounted for nearly 12%, and pigs for just over 43% of the total. Goats and sheep were at nearly 6%, and poultry at 1.6%.
By county, the animal counts varied widely. Very small portions of Defiance (Ohio) and Branch (Michigan) counties are located in the St. Joseph watershed; these accounted for less than one percent of the animals. Hillsdale County (MI) had the most animals, approximately 31.4%. DeKalb County (IN), which lies almost entirely within the St. Joseph watershed, accounted for 26% of the animals. Williams County (OH) accounted for 21.2%, Allen County (IN) 13.8%; Steuben County (IN) 4.5%, and Noble County (IN) 2.1% of the animals. Livestock operations in Amish communities, mainly in Allen, Steuben and Hillsdale Counties accounted for nearly 25% of the total animal count.
By subwatershed, the largest numbers of animals live in the Nettle Creek, the Bear Creek, and the West Branch. The Lower St. Joseph watershed is mostly urban.
Subwatershed |
Name |
No. Animals |
04100003010 |
East Branch |
3,906 |
04100003020 |
West Branch |
9,515 |
04100003030 |
Nettle Creek |
12,516 |
04100003050 |
Fish Creek |
4,216 |
04100003060 |
Middle St. Joseph |
5,921 |
04100003070 |
Bear Creek |
11,640 |
04100003080 |
Upper Cedar |
1,656 |
04100003090 |
Lower Cedar |
5,120 |
04100003100 |
Lower St. Joseph |
357 |
![]() |
The Nature Conservancy, Upper St. Joseph River Project |
![]() |
The Indiana State Department of Agriculture |
![]() |
St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative |
![]() |
Western Lake Erie Basin Partnership |
Photos
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