Partnerships

The Allen County SWCD
Partnering for the Future: A Watershed Mentality

The Allen County SWCD's 2007 - 2011 Business Plan identifies that the District provides information, education and technical assistance to the public. The Plan further states that the District will utilize an ecosystems approach to implementing its programs.

Right: Tom Miller, middle, Allen County SWCD Chair, addresses Indiana Conservation Partner representatives when they visited the District during the District Showcase tour in September 2010.

There are parts of five major watersheds in Allen County, three draining to the Great Lakes and two that are headwaters reaching the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. The District aspires to have Watershed Management Plans developed and implemented in all of these watersheds. The Allen County SWCD strives to attain this goal through their willingness to work with many organizations. Partnership is truly their game, and they take it seriously.

Left: Greg Lake talks about the many urban and agricultural conservation initiatives the Allen County SWCD is working on, especially their work with the three rivers: St. Marys, St. Joseph's and the Maumee Rivers that intersect in the county.

The SWCD partners with many local groups and companies to provide outreach programs spreading the conservation message to both urban and agricultural participants.

Left: The District's agricultural conservation programs include many initiatives that promote no-till, strip till and vertical tillage and other ag BMPs that keep soil erosion levels at or below the tolerable soil loss on all agricultural lands.

Funding is provided through state and federal grants, as well as financial support through local partners. That is why the Allen County SWCD is optimistic that the goals set forth in their District Business Plan will not only be met, but will be exceeded in 2011.

Right: Indiana Conservation Partners toured the Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant in Fort Wayne as part of the District Showcase tour. When it was built, it had the capacity to produce 24 million gallons of water per day (MGD). Since the original construction there have been two major additions: a 24 MGD expansion in 1955 and a 24 MGD addition in 1981. The total capacity of the Plant today is 72 million gallons per day, enough to supply the needs of Fort Wayne for at least the next 10 to 15 years.

Furthermore, the District is confident that this level of achievement would not have been attainable without the their willingness to work with others, to direct efforts on a watershed basis, to rely heavily on the ability to advance conservation through education, and to view oncoming challenges as opportunities waiting to be realized.

>> Click here to find out more about Indiana's SWCD