Roger Kult, Acting State Conservationist for Indiana’s Natural Resources Conservation Service announced today that sign up has begun for a new project to monitor water quality on agricultural fields in targeted areas throughout the state. Kult said, “NRCS is seeking producers to sign up by June 14th to monitor the water quality benefits of a variety of conservation practices, such as no-till, cover crops, nutrient management, etc. on their land. The data from the monitoring will show the impacts of voluntary conservation practices on water quality. The results will also be used to help farmers adapt their management to increase water quality benefits that work with agriculture production goals.”
The following 12-digit watersheds have been approved for potential edge-of-field monitoring projects:
| Watershed | Location (County/Counties) |
| Bachelor Creek – Paw Paw Creek | Miami, Wabash |
| Bear Creek | Jennings, Bartholomew, Decatur |
| Beargrass Creek | Wabash |
| Bolley Ditch | Wabash, Fulton, Miami |
| Brush Creek | Bartholomew |
| Eagle Creek Reservoir-Eagle Creek | Boone, Hamilton, Marion |
| Eel Watershed | Miami, Kosciusko, Wabash |
| Fish Creek – Sand Creek | Jennings |
| Flowers Creek – Eel River | Miami |
| Little Weesau Creek – Weesau Creek | Miami |
| Matson | St. Joseph |
| Matson Ditch | DeKalb |
| Millstone Creek – Sand Creek | Jennings, Decatur |
| Oren Ditch – Paw Paw Creek | Miami, Wabash |
| Otter Creek – Clifty Creek | Bartholomew |
| Otter Creek – Eel River | Kosciusko, Wabash |
| Plunge Creek – Eel River | Kosciusko, Wabash, Whitley |
| Rock Creek – Sand Creek | Jennings, Bartholomew, Jackson |
| Sharp Ditch – Paw Paw Creek | Wabash |
| Silver Creek | Kosciusko, Wabash, Fulton, Miami |
| Squirrel Creek | Wabash, Fulton, Miami |
| Upper East Fork-White River | Bartholomew, Decatur, Jennings |
| Washonis Creek – Eel River | Miami |
| Wyaloosing Creek | Jennings, Decatur |
Kult says, “These projects will support the good conservation work and give producers the feedback on the many positive impacts they are making.” He adds, “The data collected from these projects will be used to validate NRCS water quality modeling efforts that will benefit agriculture across the nation. All data will be protected under the Farm Bill privacy rules, and details will be shared only as authorized by the producer.”
Funding for these projects comes from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The watersheds are associated with several of NRCS’s national initiatives, including Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative (MRBI), Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB), Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), and the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI).
NRCS accepts applications for funding assistance on a continuous basis throughout the year. If you live in one of the counties listed above, check with your local NRCS office www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/directory/field_offices.html, to see if you are located in a selected watershed. All applications for funding consideration for the edge of field monitoring project must be received by June 14, 2013. For more information about technical assistance and conservation programs go to https://www.in.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/.