Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance

Brochures

Rain barrel and rain garden workshop

Residential Septic Treatment Systems

Stream bank Stabilization on Little Wildcat Creek

Reducing E. coli Loading Workshop

Presentations

What is E. coli?

Watershed Management Plan (Stahl Ditch-Kitty Run)

2009 Annual Meeting (Introduction)

Current Projects

IDEM Implementation grant for the Little Wildcat Creek Watershed. The implementation grant provided cost-share for the planting of 3 acres of trees within the floodplain along the Little Wildcat Creek in the spring of 2009. 

    – $ 187,500 ($ 150,000 from IDEM’s 319 Funds and $ 37,500 as in kind-match.

    – A stream bank stabilization project for a section of the Little Wildcat Creek was completed in early 2009.

    – Cost-share program for the purchase of rain barrels or establishment of rain gardens and an outreach projects about rain barrels.   

Completed Projects

Wildcat Creek Stahl Ditch-Kitty Run Watershed Management Plan

    – November 2004 to May 2007.

    – $ 116,267 ($ 87,200 from IDEM’s 319 Funds and $ 29,067 as in-kind match)

Spring Creek-Lick Run Watershed Management Plan

    – July 2001 June 2003. 

    – $ 56,000 ($ 50,000 from IDEM’s 319 funds and $ 16,500 as in-kind match).

Little Wildcat Creek Watershed Management Plan

    – July 2001 to June 2003.

    – $ 56,500 ($ 50,000 from IDEM’s 319 funds and $ 16,500 as in-kind match)

Long-Term Strategic Plan

    – July 2001 to June 2003.

    – $ 12,635 ($ 9,500 from INDE’s funds and $ 3,135 as in-kind match).

Since early 2005, the Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance, Inc. (WCWA) has been conducting a water quality study of the Wildcat Creek Kitty Run – Stahl Ditch Watersheds (See map).  These watersheds are drained by approximately 40 linear miles of waterways including, Canon Goyer Ditch, East Fork Little Wildcat Creek, Edwards Ditch, Fork Creek, Kitty Run, Kokomo Creek, Michael Hallihan Ditch, Prairie Creek Ditch, Spring Run, Stahl Ditch, Villa Run, and Wildcat Creek.

The purpose of the study is to identify water quality and natural resource problems, prioritize those problems, and make recommendations to alleviate those problems.  A critical component of this project involves collecting water quality and natural resource information from public stakeholders who live, work, and play within the watersheds. To facilitate this participation, the WCWA requests that interested stakeholders provide responses to the water quality and natural resource questions below.

A watershed is defined as an area of land that drains to a common point.  A watershed is very much like a bowl; it has a ridge that defines its boundary and a valley that collects each drop of water that falls within its boundary.  Watersheds can vary in size, and smaller watersheds exist within larger watersheds.  Watersheds can be as small as the land draining to a neighborhood detention basin or as large as the entire Mississippi River Basin.  The Center for Watershed Protection classifies watersheds into five watershed management units.  These include catchment area, subwatershed, watershed, subbasin, and basin (see Table 1).  The primary planning authority and suggested management focus for each of the five watershed management units varies greatly depending on the size of the watershed.

Table 1: Watershed Management Units

(Thomas Schueler, Center for Watershed Protection. 1995)

Benefits of Watershed-based Planning

The planning area for watershed-based planning is determined by the boundaries of the watershed management unit itself.  Since watershed-based planning considers the entire drainage area, it is the most effective method to address water quality and quantity issues.  Watershed boundaries are formed by changes in topography and as a result rarely follow municipal boundaries.  Watershed-based planning creates a unique environment where multiple jurisdictions can work together to reduce duplication of effort and build on each other’s resources and information to solve water-related problems.  A multi-jurisdictional approach to addressing water quality issues often results in long-term cooperation and coordination among neighboring entities.  Watershed-based planning focuses on land use activities and how they directly affect the quality and quantity of water in streams, rivers, and lakes.

Next meeting is: Thursday March 26, 2009 at 6:30 pm at the Russiaville Library. Click here for directions.

Meeting Minutes (2008-2009):

July 16, 2009

June 18, 2009

January 22, 2009

December 13, 2008

August 28, 2008

June 19, 2008

May 29, 2008

The 2009 WCWA Annual Meeting took place on March 19 in Frankfort, IN.

1) Meeting agenda.

2) President Jack Rhoda’s introduction.

Here are a few pictures from the meeting.

Jeff Phillips, President

Tippecanoe Co. Extension

Glen Boise, Vice President

City of Kokomo-Howard County

Plan Commission

Christian Chauret, Treasurer

Indiana University Kokomo

Jack Rhoda, Past President

Retired Teacher, Lafayette Council Member

Michelle Gilbert

Howard County Recycling

John Maher

Delphi Corp.

Mike Ward

Indiana American Water

Joe O’Donnell

Carroll County NRCS

Rae Schnapp

Wildcat Creek Foundation

Leah Harden

Clinton County SWCD

Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance, Inc.

P.O. Box 501

Kokomo, IN  46903-0501

Or contact Joe O’Donnell

765-564-2849, Extension 3

joe.odonnell@in.usda.gov

Organization

In the spring of 2000, an organization assembled by IDEM called the Wildcat Creek Watershed Network submitted a Section 319 project proposal through the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD) to address water quality issues in the Wildcat Creek watershed.  The Federal Clean Water Act Section 319 program provides funding for various types of projects that work to reduce nonpoint source water pollution (IDEM, 2002).  The Section 319 project proposal included the following goals: 1) hire an Executive Director/Watershed Coordinator, 2) to build upon recommendations of the Wildcat Creek Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS), 3) coordinate planning efforts throughout watershed, and 4) develop two subwatershed management plans in the Wildcat Creek watershed.

A grant of $109,500 was awarded to the IASWCD from the US EPA through IDEM.  The grant period is from July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2003.  Eleven consulting firms and/or individuals responded to the advertisement for an Executive Director/Watershed Coordinator position for the Wildcat Creek Watershed planning effort. Representatives from the Wildcat Creek Watershed Network, NRCS, and IDEM selected Goode & Associates, Inc. from Indianapolis as the contractor for the two-year project.

In the fall of 2001, the Wildcat Creek Watershed Network, reorganized, drafted By-laws, elected officers and officially became the Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance, Inc.  The law firm Barnes & Thornburg in Indianapolis prepared the not-for-profit Section 501(c)3 corporation papers as a pro bono service. 

Mission Statement (prior to 2008)

The Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance is a partnership of concerned citizens dedicated to developing and implementing successful watershed plans to improve and protect the water resources of the Wildcat Creek Watershed.

Membership

The membership of the Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance (WCWA) is constantly growing.  Currently, 485 individuals representing local government, industry, agriculture, development, environmental, and concerned citizens are active in the WCWA (see Map 5).  Membership into the WCWA is open to 1) any individual person over the age of 18 who resides in, owes real property in, or does business in the watershed, 2) any business, community or industry group concerned about water resources in the watershed, or 3) any governmental entity whose geographic jurisdiction lies in the whole or part in the watershed. 

The efforts of the WCWA are lead by a 13-member Advisory Board.  Each member of the Advisory Board is elected at the WCWA Annual Meeting and serves a 3-year term.  There are four officer positions including President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary (see Table 2 – organizational chart).  According to the WCWA By-laws, the Advisory Board must consist of one representative from Tippecanoe, Carroll, Clinton, Howard, and Tipton Counties and one from either Madison or Grant Counties.  The 4 remaining members can be from any of the 7 counties in the Wildcat Creek watershed as long as 2 represent the public education system, universities, or colleges; 2 represent businesses or industries; 2 represent the agricultural businesses, farm bureau, or related agricultural related associations; and the remaining 5 from any vocational field.

The WCWA has 4 committees that are open to the general membership.  The Education & Outreach Committee focuses its efforts on educating the general public and decision-makers in the Wildcat Creek watershed through workshops, newspaper articles, and field days.  The Funding Committee is working toward securing long-term funding sources for the WCWA.  The Land Use Committee targets land use and water quality issues in the watershed.  And the Technical Committee coordinates, collects and analyzes water quality data throughout the Wildcat Creek watershed.

Public Participation

The WCWA is volunteer-based and public participation is essential to maintaining the strength of the organization.  Information to the membership is disseminated through newspaper articles, quarterly newsletter, workshops, annual and quarterly membership meetings as well as regularly scheduled Advisory Board and committee meetings.  The Annual Meeting for the general membership is held the first quarter of each year.  Quarterly Stakeholder or Membership meetings are held on the second Tuesday of January, April, July, and October.