ACPWQ - Allen County Watersheds

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ACPWQ - Allen County Watersheds

What's a Watershed?

A watershed is an area of land that drains into a body of water such as a lake or river. For example, the St. Joseph River encompasses all the land and tributaries that drain into the St. Joseph river.

Watersheds are important because everything that is done on the land within a watershed can affect the health of the stream, river, lake or ocean into which it drains. The quality of our water is affected not only by what might be dumped directly into the lake or river but by everything we do on the land in the watershed.

What Watershed do I live in?

If you live in Allen County, you live in one of the six watersheds found in the county. You can find out what watershed you live in by using this link to The Environmental Protection Agency

Click on a Watershed Link Below to Learn More...

Overview of Indiana Watersheds

St. Joseph River	St. Mary's River	Maumee River
Eel River	Auglaize River	Wabash River

How Can I Protect My Watershed?

Practice Responsible Lawn Care - When applying chemicals to your lawn, follow the manufacturer's directions to avoid overapplying and avoid applying before a heavy rain is expected. Lawn chemicals can run off into the storm sewers and harm our rivers and streams.
Reduce Impervious Surfaces - Surfaces such as roofs, driveways and patios are impervious and do not allow rainwater to filter into the soil. This keeps rain from recharging our groundwater and forces the water into storm drains. Instead of concrete patios,asphalt driveways and paved paths, try wood decks, gravel or pervious asphalt driveways and mulched paths.
Practice Green Landscaping - Try mixing composts or biosolids in your garden soil as they both hold water well and are natural fertilizers. Try planting native species in the garden as they require less water and fertizer. You may also want to take a look at our Green Landscaping Brochure. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat to view this brochure.
Conserve Water - Using less water in and around your home means less water is being taken from ground water aquifers (if your water comes from a well) or the St. Joseph river (if you get your drinking water from City Utilities). If less water is treated for use as drinking water it will help keep our utility costs lower. Also using less water means less water in the sewer system, making combined sewer overflows less likely during wet weather.
Don't Misuse Storm Drains - Remember that storm drains are not trash cans. Household hazardous waste (HHW) such as oil, anti-freeze and many cleaning agents should be taken to an HHW collection facility. Call the Allen County Solid Waste Management District at 260-449-7878 to learn more. You may also want to look at the HHW Brochure.
Support Local Efforts - Support the efforts of your local government to improve water quality and understand that there are many way you can become involved in protecting your water quality. Consider joining a watershed group or volunteer some taime marking storm drains. Visit the Get Involved section of our site to learn more about opportunities in your area.
Pick Up Pet Waste - Water that flows into a storm drain is not treated before it reaches our rivers. So if you leave your pet's waste on the sidewalk or lawn, it could end up washing into the rivers during the next rain. Dispose of it down the toilet or throw it in the trash.

Contact us...
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Address:

    ACPWQ
    3718 New Vision Drive
    Fort Wayne, IN 46845 

    Phone:
    260-484-5848 EXT. 111

    email: matt.jones@nacdnet.net
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Allen County Partnership for Water Quality
last modified: March 14, 2006

URL: http://www.acwater.org