Summary
The Lower Salamonie River Watershed Management Plan (WMP) provides a framework for addressing water quality issues within two 10-digit HUCs (0512010203, Black Creek-Salamonie River and 0512010204, Salamonie River) including the Lower Salamonie Reservoir, while balancing the needs of the communities and stakeholders. It is comprehensive and incorporates the 2009 WMP checklist defined by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).
Water quality sampling completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) since 2009 has indicated excess nutrients are entering the reservoir via the Salamonie River and its tributaries. After water quality issues were recognized, a study was initiated by the Huntington County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) which led to the development of this WMP.
For this WMP a detailed watershed assessment was completed, including an assessment of water quality data, local soils, hydrology, landuse, precipitation, geology, biology, and all other known and available information. A windshield survey of the watershed was conducted, meetings were held with stakeholders to guide the development of this plan, and the Spreadsheet Tool for the Estimation of Pollutant Loads (STEPL) model was utilized to estimate non-point source pollutant loadings and potential Best Management Practices (BMPs) that may be used to address the identified nonpoint source issues.
Critical subwatersheds were identified using a data driven approach to address the goals of this WMP. The result of the critical subwatershed analysis is a selection of priority subwatersheds based on available data and information tailored to address specific goals. In addition to identifying critical areas within the subwatershed, this plan also defines actionable implementation strategies to address and reduce identified nonpoint source pollutant loadings.
Upon finalization of the plan, applications may be submitted to obtain grant funding for implementation of individual improvement measures, also known as BMPs.