Watersheds & Streams
Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District    . . . helping people care for the land

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Contact us at:
Marion Count Soil & Water
Conservation District
6960 S. Gray Rd., Suite C
Indianapolis, IN 46237
Phone: 317-786-1776
Fax:     317-786-1757

Map to the office

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


YOU ARE HERE:  www.marionswcd.org   >  watersheds  >

View up-to-date watershed maps for Marion County

Check out the Ongoing Watershed Projects
Central Indiana Watersheds at www.indywatersheds.org
Eagle Creek Watershed at
www.eaglecreekwatershed.org/
Geist Reservoir / Upper Fall Creek Watershed draft plan.. 
The draft plan is available for the public for review.
Lower Fall Creek Watershed at www.lowerfallcreek.org/
Pleasant Run Watershed at www.pleasantrunwatershed.org/
Upper White River Watershed Alliance at www.uwrwa.org/
 

Check to See if a Site is in a Flood Plain?
Check to see if you live in or near a flood plain.  Thanks to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and services provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood hazard maps have been developed for most communities in the United States.  To get a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for your community go to www.fema.gov/hazard/flood on the web and click on flood maps.  With some patience you can view a map for most areas.  You usually can find the site by just entering your address.  For additional information about FEMA visit their web site is at www.fema.gov .

The Importance of  Watershed Planning
When water flows across the land during rainfall events, it can carry fertilizers, loose soil, litter and other pollutants into streams and other surrounding water bodies. As a result, everything we do on the land affects the quality and quantity of our water resources and the natural systems that surround us. Therefore, the natural resources and the quality of life in our communities are directly affected—positively or negatively—by the way we plan for and manage the land we use.

Community watershed management planning is a way to consider a wide range of environmental, economic, and social issues along with the community’s vision for the future of the watershed under a single framework. Working within physical boundaries rather than political boundaries, the watershed management planning process provides opportunities to address water quality and habitat issues beyond the scope of single jurisdictions. It provides a means to ensure environmental protection, to support quality of life issues, and accommodates economic development using the watershed as the planning framework. Any kind of planning allows you to put a single action into the context of a larger vision—watershed management planning allows for that vision to include healthy natural resources and waterways.

Local governments and watershed associations play an essential role in restoring Marion County's water resources through the restoration and protection of local water bodies and habitat. Many local agencies are becoming more engaged in watershed management planning. Because these entities have developed an understanding of the connection between land use and environmental health, it is hoped that watershed planning will become an integral part of comprehensive land use planning within their jurisdictions. Localities in the Marion County area have began to conduct watershed management planning in areas such as the Mud Creek and Eagle Creek Reservoir.   In these watersheds it is hoped that protection, preservation, restoration and other land use decisions can now be made using technical and financial resources as efficiently and effectively as possible in order to improve water quality, habitat and the quality of life for all residents.

Watershed management planning is a process that involves many steps and includes a variety of stakeholders as well.  Watershed groups often start by building public support and then move through a planning process.  The planning process does not always move in one direction and the various steps are interrelated. Information gained at one step may lead the group to move to another step in the process. For example, information gained during the inventory step may lead the group back to seeking new stakeholders.  The watershed planning process is described in the Handbook listed below.  The planning process should be completed and result in the the development of an actual watershed management plan.

Community Watershed Assessment
The Watershed Approach
Handbook Fact Sheet
Community Watershed Assessment Handbook
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A Guide to the First Steps of Creating a Watershed Plan
The Watershed Approach Framework
Watershed Protection

Natural Resource Assessment Data
NRCS natural resource problem assessment (at the national level)
National Resource Inventory (NRI) web site

Water Assessment Data
Indiana Water Quality Assessment Data Base
EPA Watershed Assessment

Stream Improvement Information

(Be patient the following files are in pdf format, and may take some time to download)
Riparian Forest Buffer Fact Sheet
Riparian Forest Buffer Standard
Stream Channel Stabilization Standard
Streambank Protection Standard
Stream Habitat Improvement Fact Sheet
Stream Habitat Improvement Standard
River Corridor & Wetland Restoration

Stream Corridor Restoration
Federal Agency Stream Corridors Group Federal Interagency Working Group
National Conservation Buffer Initiative
Riparian References
 


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Web Page Last Updated 9-30-10