Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Some people call them swamps. Others see them as unusable pieces of land in need of draining.
But, to the members of and donors to the Tippecanoe Environmental Lake and Watershed Foundation, wetlands are essential to preserving the water quality of Kosciusko County's many lakes, streams and rivers.
According to TELWF project coordinator Holly LaSalle, the foundation has recently completed their first construction project meant to improve the water quality in Tippecanoe Lake.
"We were their recipients of a $140,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, through their lake and river enhancement program," she said. "We've just completed our first construction project - two detention ponds on the Tippecanoe Golf Course."
The next two projects include construction of wetland areas, sediment traps and stream bank stabilization on the Hanah B. Walker and Kuhn drains, which are scheduled for completion in summer 2000.
The foundation is also participating in the three-county Grassy Creek Watershed project, a $3.8-million endeavor to increase the quality of water in Kosciusko, Noble and Whitley counties, LaSalle said.
"The project will reduce phosphorus levels in the area lakes and reduce flooding by 67 percent overall in the Barbee-Tippecanoe Lake chain," LaSalle said.
The Grassy Creek project calls for the construction of an additional six constructed wetland sites - one up to 280 acres.
Wetlands, detention basins and other water control measures help clean the watershed of phosphorous and other chemical fertilizers. These pollutants serve as food for algae and other aquatic weeds that can choke the life out of a lake or stream
LaSalle said property owners can contribute to cleaning the county's water. Educating them is another of the goals of the foundation.
"Another big goal of ours is to educate the property owners in the county about the stresses being put on our lakes," she said. "They can help improve the water quality by using non-phosphorus fertilizers, reserve greenspaces when building or remodeling, avoid high-powered boating in shallow lake areas and using glacial rock sea walls instead of concrete sea walls."
Foundation president Bob Smith said the organization currently has approximately 200 members, volunteers and donors. It was set up to provide those concerned about the quality of water in the county's lakes and streams with a charitable way to help.
"We organized the foundation to collect funds that were tax deductible, and to fund projects on the Tippecanoe River and Grassy Creek Watershed," Smith said. "Our goal last year was to raise $200,000 and we came up a little short - we only collected $180,000.
"We'd like to raise about $70,000 this year to make up for that shortfall and to fund the maintenance of the projects we've already completed," Smith added. "We're also planning to fund testing on the completed projects to make sure they're doing what they're supposed to do."
The testing regimen will cost the foundation between $11,000 and $12,000 per year, Smith added.
"It's been very gratifying to work with a group dedicated to educating people about what we're doing and why we're doing it," Smith said. "A lot of people have put a lot of time and effort into these projects. They're all committed to these projects and they've helped us get a lot of support from the people living around the lakes."
For those interested in what the foundation is doing, volunteering time or to make a donation, call 843-2185.
The next foundation meeting will be at 10 a.m. Aug. 21 at the Lake Tippecanoe Country Club.
