BEDFORD – On Tuesday morning, the Lawrence County Commissioners learned about the Twin Creek-Lick Branch project from Valerie Baird with Washington County Soil & Water.
Baird shared they have received a grant to conduct a water study on the Twin Creek-Lick branch of White River. the watershed area covers 117,000 acres across 4 counties including Lawrence County. There are 4422 sinkholes and 21 springs in the area which means the water at or near the surface containing possible contaminants reaches underground quickly
“This is a two-year project that will wrap up in January 2024,” she added. “We will determine pollutants and their sources and what is causing them to drain into White River. We will then write a plan to correct the issues and submit it to IDEM for cost-sharing money for conservation and to reduce the contaminates into the waterways.”
The goal is to improve the water quality flowing from the East Fork of the White River and improve soil health throughout the watershed.
But first Baird needs volunteers to help with the program. She and the commissioners are looking for landowners and producers in the area of Mitchell, Sparksville, Campbellsburg, Salem, and East Washington Water Corporation who are impacted by or directly located within the watershed.
If you are interested you can contact Baird at valeire.baird@in.nacdnet.net or call contact Commissioners Rodney Fish, Dustin Gabhart, or Wally Branham.
