WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

FlatLand Resources has been at the table, working alongside the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District and other conservation organizations on watershed planning and studies since its inception in 2000.

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FlatLand prepared the first grant application for the Upper White River Watershed Project, which was awarded through Indiana’s IDEM 319 Watershed Program and became the most continuous study of its kind in the state. FlatLand Resources continues to solicit and implement watershed grants throughout the East Central Indiana region and its surrounding watersheds.

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Watershed studies are non-regulatory efforts designed to establish a baseline for water quality. Water-quality testing is then used to identify areas of concentration and direct grants toward best management practices for landowners and agricultural producers focused on improving water quality. These grants target the anticipated reduction of known pollutants not associated with point-source discharges. (Link to definition)

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FlatLand Resources has secured more than $16 million in watershed-related grants that have supported watershed study reports, water-quality testing, cover crops, no-till practices, wetland demonstrations, erosion control, streambank restoration, tree plantings, river cleanups, dam removal and modifications, canoe launches, Prairie Creek master planning, river education, and more.

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FlatLand’s East Central Indiana watershed efforts are built upon the foundation of Muncie’s Bureau of Water Quality and its unprecedented biological water-quality study, which began in the early 1970s. (Link)

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Since the 1970s, sediment has been one of the largest pollutants affecting our waterways. Historically, industrial pipe-sourced waste was extremely damaging to our waterways. The Clean Water Act, enacted in the 1970s, now regulates industrial wastewater in a manner that has lowered pollutant loads to levels that support stream biology.

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Sediment loss, commonly known as non-point-source pollution, is the result of converting vast wooded areas in the 1800s into productive row-crop agriculture. Tree removal was followed by the creation of drainage ditches, which straightened naturally meandering streams. Straight ditches are necessary to operate farm equipment and create rows of crops. Straightened streams increase the slope of the waterway, which in turn increases water velocity. Increased velocity mobilizes sediment. The natural laws of fluid dynamics mean that erosion will work to revert straightened streams back toward their natural, meandering forms. (Map of tree loss)

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As farm producers continue to increase the use of no-till practices and cover crops, many FlatLand watershed analyses have demonstrated that agricultural runoff is a negligible contributor to sediment loads in our streams. Similarly, construction-site soil erosion has been reduced to an insignificant contributor to stream sediment loading as a result of implemented best management practices, education, and regulation. Today, bank erosion along our ditches, streams, and rivers is a significant source of sediment loading. The positive impacts of agricultural and construction-site erosion-control practices are measurable in the fish species found in our streams.

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In the 1970s, approximately six species of fish were catalogued in the White River, mostly carp. Today, approximately 90 species of fish can be found in our waterways. The increase in fish species is the result of controlling industrial heavy-metal pollution and sediment discharges from agricultural and construction activities. With these pollutant reductions, there has been a measurable increase in key species such as smallmouth bass, while freshwater mussel populations have also increased significantly. Mussels are among the most important natural cleansers of water, functioning in some ways similarly to how the liver functions in humans. Smallmouth bass prey on smaller fish and amphibians, helping maintain balance within the food chain.

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Increases in fish populations demonstrate that our water is cleaner, resulting in a significant increase in anglers, paddlers, and trail users along our rivers. Dam removals have also been a major contributor to increased river biology and expanded human recreational use. (Dam removal link—David’s report plus Miami River)

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Clean rivers translate into increased aquatic life, improved quality of life, and new economic development opportunities for river communities. (Greenway photos on river—link to The Spire)

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FlatLand Resources has been fortunate to use watershed initiatives as a catalyst for improving the health of our landscapes, strengthening our communities, and building long-term client relationships since opening our doors in 2000. (Newspaper article about dams/John Craddock)