Clean Water Indiana Grants Awarded to 25 Counties

Today, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and the State Soil Conservation Board (SSCB) awarded nearly $900,000 in Clean Water Indiana (CWI) grants to 25 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs). These grants will help fund conservation projects designed to improve water quality across the state.
?We?re starting to see a significant reduction in the amount of sediment and nutrients prevented from entering Indiana?s waterways, as a result of Clean Water Indiana,? said Melissa Rekeweg, ISDA interim director. ?There is still much work to be done to improve our water quality, and these grants are critical to that effort.?

The CWI program is administered by ISDA?s Division of Soil Conservation, under the direction of the SSCB, and funded, in part, by the state?s cigarette tax revenue. It was established to provide financial assistance to landowners and conservation districts, as an effort to reduce non-point sources of water pollution.

While the grant proposals vary in scope, each project was designed to support the local conservation efforts of Indiana?s SWCDs, whether it?s installing a filter strip, planting cover crops or hiring staff to provide technical assistance, education and training. Collaboration was also encouraged as part of the competitive grant process, and many of the districts will use these funds to leverage additional resources through cost-share programs and other partnership opportunities.
?Conservation in Indiana is volunteer-driven; however, volunteers need tangible support to carry out their conservation initiatives,? said Robert Woodling, SSCB Chairman. ?The State Soil Conservation Board is pleased that we are able to provide support by way of the Clean Water Indiana grants.?

The following list includes the CWI grants that were awarded for 2018. The lead SWCD on the project is listed first, followed by the partnering district(s), if applicable, and then the award amount. The total funding amount was $897,034.50.
? Allen County: $24,300
? Blackford County (Adams, Jays, Wells counties): $154,500
? Dearborn County (Ohio County): $107,000
? Dubois County (Daviess, Martin counties): $95,250
? Fulton County: $55,500
? Jefferson County (Clark County): $66,990
? Knox County (Pike, Sullivan, Dubois, Daviess, Warrick counties): $52,500
? Marion County: $60,000
? Pike County (Gibson County): $84,000
? Rush County (Shelby County): $4,912.50
? Steuben County: $25,750
? Vanderburgh County (Gibson, Pike, Posey, Warrick counties): $95,000
? Wabash County: $22,300
? Warrick County (Posey, Vanderburgh counties): $49,032

Source: ISDA