Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH WEBSTER — Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) approved Pike, Chapman, and Winona Lake Association’s Lake and River Enhancement (LARE) grant applications, awarding $203,000 to improve water quality in the Upper Tippecanoe River Watershed.
These LARE grants will assist local groups in funding projects to reduce sediment and nutrient loads that reach downstream lakes and cause weed and algal blooms, according to a provided news release.
Feasibility and engineering studies are completed to assess and ensure project success, and identify priority projects to ensure the largest impact per dollar.
Water Quality Improvement Projects
Pike Lake Association was awarded $48,000 for a feasibility design study on Deeds Creek between Husky Trail and U.S. 30 (behind Parkview Hospital and the YMCA). A 2022 study found erosion in this stretch sends 125 tons of sediment, 67 pounds of phosphorus and 134 pounds of nitrogen downstream to Pike Lake every year.
With the project already in motion, Chapman Lakes Conservation Association has been granted an additional $55,000 to complete the entire headwaters construction project on Crooked Creek, an inlet to Chapman Lake. Upon completion, the project is projected to reduce 44.8 tons of sediment and 38.2 pounds of phosphorus annually.
Winona Lake Preservation Association received $100,000 to fund a Design-Build Project to address severe bank erosion on Peterson Ditch, a major Winona Lake inlet estimated to contribute 74 tons of sediment to the lake annually. This sediment carries nutrients that cause algae blooms; for this particular project, an estimated 68 pounds of phosphorus and 78 pounds of nitrogen will be prevented.
Cumulatively, these projects will protect lake health by preventing 173.2 pounds/year of phosphorus from entering waterways. In turn, these results will prevent the growth of over 1.7 million pounds of wet weeds and algae. These investments by lake associations, IDNR, and The Watershed Foundation will not only improve our local lakes but also improve water quality in downstream waters, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
Partnership with TWF
Stopping erosion and preventing pollution in local lakes requires significant coordination among stakeholders — county officials, property owners, contractors, and funders. Lake associations are typically run by volunteers. The Watershed Foundation (TWF) fills that gap, employing skilled professionals with backgrounds in lake science, agriculture, and communications who specialize in building the partnerships that bring water quality projects like these to completion.
In the last 29 years, TWF has worked with partners to obtain 43 IDNR LARE grants totaling $1.8 million. Since these grants require at least a 20% match, more than $2.25 million has been invested in projects on the land that protect and improve water quality in the Upper Tippecanoe River Watershed through the IDNR LARE grant program.
A Recent LARE Project Success Story
TWF led a LARE-funded project that was completed in 2026 at Farm Ditch, an inlet to Crooked Lake in the headwaters of the Tippecanoe River Watershed. With a total project cost of $151,250, these efforts will prevent 11 tons of sediment and 9.2 pounds of phosphorus from entering the water that flows through Big, Smalley, Backwater, Webster, and all the way to Lake Tippecanoe each year.
“The IDNR’s LARE program is designed to protect and enhance aquatic habitat for fish and wildlife, and to ensure the continued viability of Indiana's publicly accessible lakes and streams for multiple uses, including recreational opportunities. This is accomplished through measures that reduce non-point sediment and nutrient pollution of surface waters to a level that meets or surpasses state water quality standards.”
