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Did you know?
There are two different types of pollution: point source (PS) and non-point source (NPS). PS is the type of pollution that can easily be tracted back
to a single point such as an industrial facility or local sewer overflow. NPS pollution is much more difficult to track such as runoff from out parking
lots, road, lawns, and fields.
Thanks to the Clean Water Act and the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System the majority of PS pollution is regulated and has been significantly
reduced. This leaves NPS pollution as the primary culprit of impaiments in our local waters.
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Water Quality
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According to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), over 45% of all stream segments within the South
Fork Wildcat Creek Watershed are impaired. The majority of these segments can attribute their impairment to high levels of E. coli or impaired biotic
communities. Other segments are listed as impaired due to the discovery of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) in fish tissues and/or low levels of dissolbed
oxygen. In an effort to further identigy local water quality impairments and what is needed to reduce pollutant loading, IDEM conducted a Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL) study in 2008. The results showed the need for significant reductions of E. coli, Nitrate+Nitrite, and total suspended solids (TSS). Other past
water quality studies initiated by the Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District support these findings as well as impairments from high levels of
phosphorus and Atrazine.
As part of the South Fork Wildcat Creek Watershed Plan, additional rounds of water quality sampling will be done during 2010
and 2011. This data will be analyzed and results will be combined with historical water quality data to identify pollutant sources throughout the South Fork
Wildcat Creek Watershed, define critical sources, and develop strategies for addressing these impairments.
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"All the water that will ever be is, right now..."
-National Geographic-
"Filthy water cannot be washed"
-West African Proverb-
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Current water quality sampling efforts are addressing a number of different water quality parameters including:
-pH
-Dissolved Oxygen
-E. coli
-Total Phosphorus
-Nitrate+Nitrite
-Total Suppended Solids
-Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI)
-Macroinvertebrate Index of Biotic Integrity (mIBI)
Click here to find out more about what these water quality parameters can tell
us and what target levels are established for the South Fork
Wildcat Creek Watershed
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