In 2012, the Clinton and Boone County Soil and Water Conservation Districts were awarded a grant from the Indiana Lake and River Enhancement Program (Indiana Department of Natural Resources) to evaluate water quality impairments in the Browns Wonder Creek-Sugar Creek Watershed and to develop a restoration strategy for addressing these impairments. The Browns Wonder Creek-Sugar Creek Watershed begins in eastern Boone and Clinton Counties and serves as the headwaters to the highly regarded Sugar Creek which flows through Shades and Turkey Run State Parks before emptying into the Wabash River.
Water quality sampling was completed across 15 sampling sites during 2012 to test for nutrients, E.coli bacteria, sediment, and quality of in-stream habitat for fish and other stream wildlife. This information was paired with land use data, comments gathered during 4 public meetings, and historic environmental studies to identify opportunities for improving the quality of our local streams and creeks.
The highest quality aquatic habitat occurred along the main stem of Sugar Creek while the lowest quality sites included those smaller streams, creeks, and ditches where streamside vegetation has been removed and/or the channel itself has been straightened. Nitrates and suspended sediments were low throughout the sampling period and across sites which was expected given the drought conditions during 2012. However, despite low amounts of rainfall in 2012, total phosphorus and E.coli levels exceeded common water quality standards in a number of locations across the watershed, especially during periods of rainfall.
Based on data collected during 2012, as well as information gathered from past studies, three separate drainage areas were prioritized for having the greatest opportunity to improve local water quality. These drainages included the Mallot Ditch-Sugar Creek (Clinton Co.), Scott Wincoup Ditch-Sugar Creek (Boone and Clinton Co.), and Rose Ditch-Brown Wonder Creek (Boone Co.) Subwatersheds.
In response, the Clinton Co. SWCD submitted an application to the IDNR, LARE for Land Treatment funds to help support conservation-related technical and financial assistance for local residents in the Mallott Ditch-Sugar Creek and Scott Wincoup Ditch-Sugar Creek Subwatersheds. Awards for LARE grants will be announced late July 2013. In addition, the Clinton and Boone SWCD applied for a joint Clean Water Indiana grant with the intent of leveraging the Clean Water Indiana (CWI) funds against anticipated LARE funding to provide increased conservation assistance to local landowners. The Clinton and Boone county SWCD’s were awarded $70,000.00 to be distributed over a period of three years. Specifically, the CWI funds will be used to: 1.) provide increased funding for landowner cost-share to install water quality BMPs and 2.) to hire a Agricultural Watershed Specialist to provide technical assistance for available conservation programs (e.g. CWI, LARE, Farm Bill, etc.)
The focus of future projects will look to increase available resources for implementing conservation practices such as filter strips, cover crops, nutrient management, no-till, and conservation drainage. By combining efforts to leverage funds from multiple sources we hope to have a greater impact on reducing sediment and nutrient runoff in the Sugar Creek Watershed.