Indian Creek Watershed Project: Key Takeaways for Success

The Indian Creek watershed project focused on improving water quality in a small agricultural watershed in central Illinois. The project encouraged local landowners to voluntarily adopt conservation practices and systems proven to improve on-farm nutrient use efficiency. Project staff members offered education, outreach, and information about cost-share funding. Their goals were to treat half of farmed acreage in the watershed and to measure water quality in Indian Creek to determine if large-scale voluntary adoption of such practices and systems improved water quality. CTIC engaged Purdue University to evaluate the project and document key project elements that contributed to the Indian Creek watershed project's success. This publication summarizes key findings from that project evaluation.