TTK Watershed Project
TTK Watershed Project The ‘TTK’ Grant refers to the Turtle Creek, Turman Creek, and Kelley Bayou watersheds situated in western Sullivan County and including an extreme southern portion of Vigo County. This 115,670 acre watershed is currently in its final installment of 319 grant-funded implementation, which will conclude at the end of 2023. Cost-Share funding is currently wait-listed for the TTK 319 grant, though interested producers and landowners are encouraged to contact the Sullivan County Soil & Water Conservation District and/or the 319 Watershed Coordinator for more information. Additional funding may become available for practices such as cover crops, precision ag and no-till planter upgrades, tree plantings, buffer establishment, and more!
CLICK HERE for an interactive map of the TTK Watershed (including critical area boundaries)
Background of the TTK Watershed Project
In the late 90s, a group of interested stakeholders formed the Partnership for Turtle Creek to address erosion and other issues upstream and around the Turtle Creek Reservoir. As a result, a Watershed Management Plan for Turtle Creek was created and many in the region gained awareness regarding nonpoint source pollution and ways in which water quality can be improved through the installation of BMPs (best management practices). The scope of the original Turtle Creek initiative was eventually expanded to include the Turman Creek watershed and the Indiana-portion of the Kelley Bayou watershed, resulting in the ‘TTK’ Watershed project. The first TTK 319 Planning and Implementation grant (August 2013-January 2017) amounted to $263,700 in grant funding with $215,136.78 match/in-kind value generated from partners and stakeholders. During this time, a dedicated Advisory Committee was formed and a comprehensive Watershed Management Plan was completed for the TTK watershed, prioritizing critical areas based on stakeholder input and water monitoring data. Once the WMP was approved by IDEM and EPA, the implementation portion of the project commenced, resulting in $132,828.61 worth of cost-share funding utilized for best management practices (i.e. conservation practices) installed on private land.
Starting in April 2016, a second round of 319 Implementation funding was awarded to continue nonpoint source pollutant load reduction efforts in the TTK watershed. This 319 Implementation grant included $336,660 in funding ($210,149.67 utilized for cost-share) with a match/in-kind value of $280,363.95. Though it concluded in 2019, a third and final installment of 319 funding was awarded for the TTK watershed (2020-2023). These 319 grants ran concurrently with several other conservation-focused grants (Clean Water Indiana, DNR LARE Watershed Land Treatment, The Nature Conservancy, Hoosier Energy, and Indiana American Water), which helped boost overall water quality improvements throughout the watershed. Many thanks to the partners, Advisory Committee members, and stakeholders who contributed to the success of these projects!
Partnership for Turtle Creek Watershed Management Plan (1998)
TTK Watershed Management Plan (2016)
A305-3-77 TTK Planning & Implementation Final Report (2013-2017)
A305-6-224 TTK Implementation Final Report (2016-2019)
#41471 TTK Implementation Final Report (2020-2024)
To learn more about the TTK Watershed Project:
Sullivan County SWCD
2316 North Section St. Sullivan, IN 47882
(812) 268 5157 x 3
sullivan-swcd@iaswcd.org
http://sullivancountyswcd.org/
319 Watershed Coordinator
laura@watershed-alliance.org
(812) 564-1162 cell