Watershed Inventory: Data Collection with a Purpose Jane Frankenberger

Why an Inventory?  Your inventory will be a detailed record of current conditions and characteristics of this unique watershed, serving as a benchmark against which to measure future changes.  The inventory clarifies problems which are the basis for developing goals and objectives for your watershed group.

Why an Inventory?  Developing a watershed inventory will help educate your and your group about activities in the watershed that could be affecting the overall water quality of your streams and lakes.  An inventory can help in developing a monitoring strategy to collect baseline data or monitor the progress of your restoration efforts.

Why an Inventory?  You can use the material from the inventory at public meetings and to educate residents about your project.  Your inquiries will help you meet knowledgeable people and locate valuable information sources in the area, and alert you to interest groups that may have been left out of the group.

Academy Modules on Watershed Inventory and Assessment  R3 – Tools for developing a watershed inventory  R4 - Windshield Survey and Analysis

Tools: 1. Indiana GIS Atlas Frankenberger & McLoud, Watershed Assessment Tool for Indiana

Video tutorials available Frankenberger & McLoud, Watershed Assessment Tool for Indiana

2. Web Soil Survey Frankenberger & McLoud, Watershed Assessment Tool for Indiana

If you are already proficient at one or more of these tools…  Please discuss with me, and we will identify another of more added value for you. Frankenberger & McLoud, Watershed Assessment Tool for Indiana

Getting Out into the watershed – Windshield survey Frankenberger & McLoud, Watershed Assessment Tool for Indiana

Watershed Inventory Workbook Jane Frankenberger Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University Susan McLoud NRCS Liaison, Indiana Department of Environmental Management Alyson Faulkenburg EarthTec

Goals of the Watershed Inventory Workbook for Indiana  Enable local watershed partnerships to locate all major potential sources of pollution in the watershed in order to develop a better management plan  Education: Help local people understand what is going on in their watershed, and how it might affect water quality

Frankenberger & McLoud, Watershed Assessment Tool for Indiana 2 Tiers  Tier 1: Work that can be completed in the office, using books, the Web, GIS, etc.  Tier 2: Getting out in the watershed and looking around Focus of R4

Natural features of the watershed  Soils  Floodplains  Topography  Karst areas

Land use overview  Determine current land use  Determine zoned land uses  Compare the two to see where watershed is going.

Land use overview

Streams, lakes & wetlands  Determine which streams are legal drains  Determine which are officially impaired, such as the 303(d) list,  Observe as many as possible

Urban & residential areas  Locate subdivisions  Map sewered and unsewered houses

Urban & residential areas  Identify stormwater practices. Will community be developing a stormwater management plan? (Phase II)  Construction site erosion control

Regulated pollutant sources  Locate any landfills from state data  Determine if combined sewer overflows discharge into stream  Locate stormwater outfalls (Phase II makes many more regulated)  Identify other (unpermitted or unknown) discharges

Agriculture  Locate agricultural land in the watershed

Agriculture  Can estimate pesticide and fertilizer use  Identify livestock operations

Agriculture  Identify tillage practices and erosion estimates (from tillage survey)

Forests  Identify publicly owned land  Identify special areas such as riparian forest  Find out if there are threatened and endangered species  Conduct windshield survey to identify any logging

Mining  If mining is common in the area, contact Division of Reclamation  Identify active mines  Identify reclaimed mines  Identify abandoned unreclaimed mines – and seek help

Synthesis of your observations  1. Worksheets provided  2. Record observations in Google maps Frankenberger & McLoud, Watershed Assessment Tool for Indiana

Pulling it all together - Maps

Pulling it all together - Tables

Frankenberger & McLoud, Watershed Assessment Tool for Indiana

Pulling it all together - Questions  What have we learned about this part of the landscape that we think is a problem?  What have we learned that is positive and needs to be maintained or protected?  Do we know enough to reach a decision about what needs to change? If not, what else do we need to find out?

Problem statements “Possum Creek, which is on the 303(d) list for “impaired biotic community” runs through three farms where beef cattle have free access to the stream. The stream banks are bare and eroded. It appears that livestock access to the stream is degrading aquatic habitat.”

Make this useful to you!  “Windshield surveys” are a good way to use energy of volunteers concerned about the watershed  You as Coordinator have a vital role to play in getting volunteers excited, organizing the inventory, and writing up the results.  Remember: The goal is to determine the sources of any water quality concerns, so that you can come up with ways to address them in the next step. Good luck and have fun!