Plummer Creek Watershed Project – CLOSED

The final installment of the Plummer Creek Watershed 319 Implementation project ended in March 2023 after utilizing all cost-share funding and exceeding the match/in-kind goal. The Plummer Creek 319 program made possible the promotion and installation of a wide variety of conservation practices throughout the watershed in an effort to improve water quality and educate landowners about best management practices. A project summary can be viewed in the Final Report (below). Many thanks to the stakeholders, partners, and participants who helped make this project a success! Individuals still interested in conservation practices that prevent erosion, reduce fertilizer inputs, slow run-off, manage grazing, or increase riparian zones can contact the Greene County SWCD or the Greene County NRCS District Conservationist inquire about funding availability and eligibility for other programs. Plummer Creek is located primarily in eastern Greene County, with some acreage spreading into Monroe and Owen counties.

An interactive watershed map can be viewed HERE

Background of the Plummer Creek Watershed Project

Based on studies conducted by IDEM in 2008, impairments for E.coli were noted in streams throughout the Richland-Plummer Creek watershed https://www.in.gov/idem/nps/resources/total-maximum-daily-load-reports/plummer-creek/

As a result of this study, the Greene County SWCD, along with neighboring county SWCDs and partner organizations, launched the Plummer Creek Watershed Project. From 2009-2015, the group formed an Advisory Committee as well as a group of youth volunteers to collect additional data through water monitoring, stakeholder surveys, and locally reported concerns. They also educated the public by offering field days, conducting trash clean-ups, building a rain garden, and spearheading the creation of a viewing platform and native grassland planting at the historic Tulip Trestle. All of this information helped the Advisory Committee establish goals for improving water quality throughout the watershed, as well as defining ‘critical’ areas most in need of conservation practices to reduce pollutant loads. A Watershed Management Plan was compiled at the conclusion of this ‘Planning’ phase of the Plummer Creek Watershed Project and can be viewed HERE

Once the Plummer Creek WMP was approved by IDEM and EPA, the Greene County SWCD applied for a 319 Implementation grant in order to obtain funding for conservation practices to be installed in critical areas. The first installment of PCWP Implementation (2016-2019) was valued at $476,150.27 ($279,979 grant funding + $196,171.27 match/in-kind contributions) with $152,267.71 devoted to cost-share conservation practices. The second (and final) installment of PCWP 319 Implementation started in the spring of 2019 and was extended until 2023 due to additional funding being awarded. This 319 grant had a total value of $802,916.67 ($481,750 grant funding + $321,166.67 match/in-kind) with $291,250 obligated for cost-share funding.

A305-6-226 Plummer Creek Implementation I Final Report (2016-2019)

#30680 Plummer Creek Implementation II Final Report (2019-2023)

Greene County SWCD 
104 County Rd. 70 East, Suite B Bloomfield, IN 47424
(812) 384 4634 x 3
greenecoswcd.com