The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) developed this project in cooperation in order to assist in the connection of property owners willing to provide land for compensatory mitigation and organizations that must complete compensatory mitigation as part of their project. The goal is to easily identify potential sites and streamline restoration and other mitigation projects.
This chapter gives an overview of various management measures that might be selected, discusses how to identify existing management efforts in the watershed and provides considerations for selecting management options.
The Big Walnut Creek Watershed Alliance (Putnam, Hendricks, Boone Counties) developed BMP selection criteria based on land use and restoration potential, then selected appropriate BMPs for the higher ranking subwatersheds. See narrative and tables from their WMP for an idea of how to select and rank BMPs for your watershed.
Indiana NRCS has prepared watershed assessments for each of the eight-digit watersheds in Indiana based upon statewide layers available in 2008. The watershed assessment reports include information regarding the amount of and cost of particular BMPs it would take to remediate nonpoint source pollution concerns. Keep in mind that these assessments do not include concerns for which statewide GIS data layers are unavailable such as septic system failures, combined sewer overflow releases, county comprehensive plans (future development potential), legal drain designations or riparian buffers.
The eFOTG is a national manual of specifications for conservation BMPs, developed by the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), which has become the standard design reference for the planning and installation of BMPs. You can use this to learn about specific BMPs, or you might use it to provide specifications on a project to implement. This link will take you to the state map for Indiana, but you will need to click on the "Section IV" link after you've selected your county to find the most relevant information.
You've created a watershed management plan and obtained funding to implement that plan – now how do you get those practices on the ground? Check out this NRCS-published workbook for marketing best management practices to producers. The workbook takes you through the process of creating a marketing plan to help you to address your resource concerns.
This handbook describes how to perform drainage operations in the most environmentally friendly manner. The handbook is advisory in nature and does not supersede the powers granted to government agencies by Indiana statute.
This practical booklet takes producers (and watershed coordinators!) through an assessment of current practices in a specific farm. Recommendations for water quality improvement are made for areas that need improvement.
This U.S. EPA Web site contains information on BMPs that can be used to implement the six minimum control measures required by the Stormwater Phase II rule. The BMPs for the public education, public involvement, construction, and post-construction control measures may be of particular interest to those involved in watershed planning and implementation efforts.
The Indiana chapter of the American Planning Association provides a handbook to train citizens who are involved in local planning. The guide discusses the roles of the plan commission and BZA, how to avoid planning pitfalls, comprehensive planning, zoning and subdivision control ordinances, and administrative procedures. Use the guide to learn more about your local plan commission and how to include them in the watershed planning process.
Rainfall from construction sites without proper storm water planning and implementation can cause soil erosion and sedimentation of nearby creeks and streams. This handbook describes mitigating practices that can be used on active construction sites and those that should be included in the final site design to control storm water run-off.
This BMP selection tool is intended to help educate site designers and developers about some of the important factors associated with the selection of post-construction stormwater BMPs for a given site. The Web site also includes fact sheets for each BMP.
IDNR’s online handbook of practices to reduce nonpoint source pollution in managed forests, including stream crossings, riparian management zones and forest roads.
Landowners’ time can be counted as match when they participate in installing BMPs on their land. This brochure by Purdue University will help you to determine how much match is appropriate to assign to various agricultural activities.
This Web site provides a clearinghouse of cost estimates for installing BMPs and writing management plans. Use it as a reference when you are setting caps for your cost-share program or for planning the budget for a grant proposal.
