Meet the IDEM Watershed Specialists

Click Here for a State Map Identifying Watershed Specialists by Region

Bonny Elifritz, Team Leader, Southwest Indiana / 317.234-0922 / Email Bonny
Bonny has a Bachelor of Science degree in natural resources from The Ohio State University. She focused her studies on wetlands and water quality, and during her senior year, worked as an intern with the Ohio EPA conducting wetland vegetation surveys in preparation for the development of the Ohio wetland water quality standards. Bonny worked for EMH&T in Ohio as an environmental technician assisting in the preparation of Phase I Environmental Assessments, and with SePRO Corporation in Carmel, Indiana, as the Regulatory Specialist prior to coming to IDEM.

Prior to serving as a watershed specialist, Bonny was responsible for the CWA Sections104(b)(3) and 205(j) grant programs in the Watershed Management Section. She has worked with communities, agencies, elected officials, universities, and consulting firms statewide on projects involving watershed planning, assessment, education, research, and technical assistance, as well as with many IDEM OWQ program support projects. Bonny also enjoys volunteering to educate children and communities about environmental protection.

Angie Brown, Northeast Indiana / 317.234.3405 / Email Angie

Angie has been the Watershed Coordinator for the White River Watershed Project in Delaware County since 2005. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology and Christian Ministries from Anderson University in 2000. After attending one year of medical school, she decided to pursue a career in natural resources and completed her master’s degree in Biology and Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM) at Ball State University in 2004. Angie has also received her Professional Certificate in Watershed Management after attending Purdue University's Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy in 2006.

Kathleen Hagan, Southeast Indiana / 317.233.8801 / Email Kathleen

Kathleen has worked as a project manager in the NPS program for the past six and a half years (except for a brief leave of absence she took to do watershed restoration work with the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho for a summer).  Prior to that, she worked as a naturalist aide in the Water Assessment Branch/Surveys Section.  She has a B.S. in geology from the University of Dayton and an MS in Environmental Science from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs. 

Linda Schmidt, Northwest Indiana / 317.233.1432 / Email Linda
Linda grew up in West Central Indiana and attended Purdue University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in geochemistry. She worked as an environmental consultant in the water pollution control area in Ohio before taking a position in manufacturing quality assurance. Since joining the Indiana Department of Environmental Management Office of Water Quality, Linda has worked with contaminated sites, water monitoring and assessment, and the nonpoint source program. She moved into her current position as a watershed specialist in the fall of 2005.

Steve West, Lake Michigan Watersheds / 317.233.8905 / Email Steve
Steve West grew up in South Central Indiana. He attended the University of Rhode Island before returning to the state to graduate from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science degree in environomental science. He has been with IDEM since 1990.

West began writing hazardous waste permits and reviewing cleanup plans concentrating on Northwest Indiana. He then became IDEM's Sediment Remediation Program Coordinator in the OWQ, reviewing sediment remediation projects and coordinating large-scale dredging projects in the Grand Calumet River and the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal. He began as a watershed specialist in August 2006.

About the Watershed Specialists

The IDEM watershed specialists are part of Indiana's Nonpoint Source Program (NPS). The program focuses on the prevention of NPS water pollution. The NPS program also provides for assessment, education and outreach. Indiana's NPS Program relies on the communication and coordination of many programs at the federal, state and local level.

Each watershed specialist serves as a liaison between different state and local initiatives and officials to facilitate watershed planning and total maximum daily load (TMDL) development activities.

The Watershed Specialists work in partnership with the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (IASWCD) and the IASWCD's watershed information specialist, Elizabeth Trybula. The goals of this partnership are to:

• Create awareness about IDEM's watershed initiative among conservation stakeholders at the local, regional and state levels,
• Develop recognition on the importance of watershed planning and implementation, and
• Draw a solid line from effective community watershed planning and implementation to thriving Indiana urban and rural communities.

For additional information on the watershed specialists work, contact Bonny Elifritz, WSS Team Leader, at 317.234.0922, or Elizabeth Trybula, IASWCD, 317.692.7514.