Steuben County SWCD wins $10,000 national award
Indianapolis – Northeast Indiana's Steuben County Soil and Water Conservation District SWCD is the recipient of a $10,000 National Conservation Foundation District grant. The award was presented last weekduring the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tenn.
The National Conservation Foundation seeks “on-the-ground” projects that touch local communities and Steuben County SWCD's rain barrel project will certainly do just that. “The District will use the grant to install approximately 200 rain barrels,” said Kayleen Hart, the SWCD's Administrative Coordinator.
“We started our rain barrel program working with the City of Angola to place 40 barrels in critical areas,” Hart said. Hart explains the program was funded as part of an Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) 319 grant. “We partnered with the City of Angola/Trine University MS4 program to get the barrels installed,” Hart said.
Now that Steuben County is a NCF District grant recipient, they will contract with Rehabilitation and Industrial Services Enterprise (RISE), Inc., to build 200 barrels for their RISE Up to Reduce Your Storm Water, Communities Building Rain Barrels program.
The 55-gallon barrels will be sold for approximately $20 to homeowners in priority areas -- urban and lake areas of Steuben County.
“The prototype is ready,” Hart added. “Brian Musser, our  resource conservationist, came back from the NACD meeting and built it last weekend, so we're ready to meet with RISE. We're excited about the project.”
The Steuben County SWCD also was honored in January as one of three state District Showcase Award winners in Indiana. The award was presented by the Indiana Conservation Partnership. Steuben County was recognized for their work to improve the water quality of the Pigeon Creek Watershed.
For more Web resources on rain barrels and other SWCDs around Indiana who sell them >> click here. To find out more about the Steuben County SWCD conservation programs, contact Kayleen Hart by email or at 260.665.3211, ext. 3.
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INDIANA ASSOCIATION OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICTS
Our mission is to represent Soil and Water Conservation Districts as one voice, and to assist the leadership of local SWCDs through coordination and education for the wise use and management of our natural resources.
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Photo Right: Kayleen Hart, Steuben County SWCD Administrative Coordinator; and Brian Musser, Steuben County SWCD Resource Conservationist; accept the award from Rudy Rice, Illinois, National Conservation Foundation Chair; and Steve Robinson, NACD President. Photo courtesy of NACD, 
