River basin commissions are established by the legislature to address basin-wide water resource issues. A river basin commission typically involves multiple counties to focus on how to manage water on a large scale and is based on watershed boundaries, while a conservancy district is of a smaller scale for solving specific local issues and is based on parcel boundaries rather than the watershed. River basin commissions are led by locals living in the watershed and focus on water management needs specific to their watershed. A river basin commission requires General Assembly approval for basin-wide coordination and operates under its own specific Indiana Code, while a watershed development commission operates under IC 14-30.5.
River basin commissions were created to:
- Promote flood control
- Encourage soil and water conservation
- Improve water quality
- Increase cooperative planning and coordinated management of a basin's water and related land resources
- Support coordinated and cooperative action in the planning, development, and management of water resources
The Division of Water's Watershed Stewardship Section provides technical guidance and serves as a liaison between the DNR and the river basin commissions.
There are five legislatively established river basin commissions in Indiana:
Map of existing river basin commissions in Indiana