GIS-BASED MODELING AND FIELD VALIDATION OF SEDIMENT LOADING IN THE MISSISSINEWA WATERSHED, INDIANA

The Mississinewa River watershed is located on the heavy clay soil of the central till plain and ranks among the highest levels of impact of agricultural runoff potential in the state of Indiana. Our goal in this project is to determine the greatest areas of sediment loading within the Mississinewa for priority setting and potential funds allocation for conservation practices.

To facilitate manipulation of the land use, soils, and topographic data of the watershed, we developed and implemented an ArcView® Geographic Information System (GIS) based sediment-yield model. The model has been validated by in-stream sediment sampling from outlets of four representative 14-digit Hydrologic-Unit-Code (HUC) watersheds during storm events over two summers. Successfully validated, the model is being used to prioritize nearly thirty 14-digit HUC watersheds within the Mississinewa.

We will use public information meetings and field days to inform stakeholders about appropriate best management practices (BMPs), including sources of potential funding. This project is funded through an EPA Section-319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control grant administered by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.