319 Non-Point Source Management Grant for the
Lower Salamonie River Watershed
The Salamonie River Watershed is an eight digit (05120102) hydrologic unit code (HUC) river basin that covers just over 352,900 acres. It covers six different Indiana counties and is subdivided into 23 sub-basins. The Salamonie River originates near the Indiana-Ohio border in Jay County, Indiana and flows to the northwest for approximately 60 miles before discharging into the Wabash River upstream from the town of Wabash, Indiana. The lower portion of the Salamonie River is impounded and forms Salamonie Lake. The Salamonie River is a tributary to the Wabash River system, and Mississippi River Basin which contributes to the hypoxia (depletion of dissolved oxygen in the watr column to a level that can no longer support living aquatic organisms) in the the Gulf of Mexico.
In the past few years the river has showed increased levels of nutrients and sediment of hte lower Salamonie river ans some of its tributaries are listed on the IDEM 303(d) list for impairments that include E.coli, impaired biotic communities and nutrients.
This information has prompted the Huntington County Soil and Water Conservation District along with Wells, Wabash, Blackford and Grant County SWCDs, as well as other interested partners to obtain a 319 Non-Point Source Management Grant for the Lower Salamonie River Watershed (LSRW) area.
Durning the first two years of the grant the Watershed Coordinator along with stakeholders will gather data, identify water quality concerns, and set goals for water quality improvement. This information will be complied and used to develop a Watershed Management Plan (WMP). After approval of the WMP a cost share plan will be developed to implement best management practices (BMPs) to address the water quality concerns outlined in the approved Lower Salamonie River Watershed Management Plan.
Information about the progress of the WMP will be provided to citizens through news releases, newsletters, SWCD and partnership agency websites, public meetings and field days.
For more information about the grant you can contact the Watershed Coordinator or the SWCD Office at 260-356-6816 ext. 3. | 
