The USGS gauge on Eagle Creek at Zionsville is back up providing data to the web. While most of the water quality parameters were being provided until the high water of February 28th took out a tree as well as the cabling to the gauge house, the nitrate monitor was having problems sending reliable data with any regularity. Continuing, or perhaps I should say continuous rains, kept the water level high so that the cabling between the monitoring instruments and gauge house could not be repaired until the creek went down.

USGS did order a newer type of nitrate monitor, which doesn’t have as many moving parts and therefore maintenance problems. Then we had the pending “government shutdown” that may have put a kink in the paperwork flow for the new nitrate monitor. All and all it has be a bumpy season both bureaucratically and with Mother Nature for the Zionsville gauge, but data for all eight parameters is available, real time on the web.

I believe this is the only USGS gauge in the state with this complete suite of water quality parameters being reported to the public.

If you use Google maps or the Indiana GIS Atlas here is a tool to “kick it up a notch”. USGS has updated The National Map, TNM. Lots of neat stuff, did you know the center of population of the United States was right here in central Indiana at the turn of the last century?

Looks to be a great session on Tuesday, June 3rd, about just how farms and spreading urbanization get along. Registration (click here for details of program) deadline in May 27th. Mike Starkey has long been a strong supporter of innovative management practices in Eagle Creek Watershed. “Conservation Drainage” and its impact on storm water, is a new topic that should be of interest to all.  Sounds like they are going to have pretty good eats as well.

There is another webinar in the “Learn over Lunch” series coming up this Wednesday the 10th. It is Clean Water Act 101. That is also a very good link to bookmark. If you have a conflict you can go back and see the entire presentation at your leisure.

I particularly liked the first one on identifying critical areas as it is the first time that it was pointed out that finding a willing landowner was a critical part of the equation as well.

Recently I ran across this  http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/ , I was fascinated by the “word cloud” and sent a note to Eric Eckl at Water Words. He too was interested and posted it on his blog (click here) . He asked the question, what would our messages or web sites look like, jargon or strong message?

I tried it on Indywatersheds and got (click here). Hmmm! I’m still puzzling over this a bit as to how to improve my messages.

Word Clouds are a slick graphically tool to jazz up brochures, newsletters, etc. Also I think they have some analytical application to see what is predominating in your message. Try it, it’s fun.

(Thanks to grandchildren Grace and Andrew for tipping me off to – http://www.wordle.net/ where creating these clouds are just a couple of clicks away.)

The Hoosier Riverwatch database will be down until  Tuesday, May 3 for an upgrade to the system.  New features will include the ability to search Riverwatch monitoring locations, data comparison, and simple graphing of data.  Further, the way in which you input data will look different.  There will be information posted on our website on how to navigate the new database and I will also be available to answer questions.

Check the Calendar for five workshops throughout the state that will highlight some of the new features as well as helpful hits in analyzing and presenting data.

The Office of Water Quality at IDEM has been doing some reorganizing recently. Most of our contacts are now consolidated into the “Watershed Assessment and Planning Branch, under Mary Lou Renshaw. Click here for a function/organization chart.

Indiana Watershed Leadership Academy and Indiana Wildlife Federation both have a series of interesting webinars on Wednesdays and “what you can do” workshops across the state on Tuesdays. Times and directions are on the Calendar page or check their links above for more information.

I think I have fixed the (all?) the broken links for the watersheds and websites. If you find any, or have any new ones to suggest, send a note or comment and you’ll be entered into our watershed link contest with fabulous prizes.

If you have ever been frustrated, as I have, at the sometimes difficulty in finding exactly what you are looking for at IDEM, or after bookmarking it have it get lost in a web page shuffle, well IDEM Office of Water Quality has taken a step forward. It is a new web site called www.watersheds.in.gov .  Some of the high points include:

*         The e303(d) Tool, which provides information such as maps and water quality studies on impaired rivers, lakes and streams throughout the state in an accessible map format. It also ties in other resources, providing all the information Hoosiers need to learn about the quality of water in their area.

*         The redesigned Watershed Toolkit, which is available as a one-click resource for everything a group needs to help improve water quality. Providing information on running meetings, applying for grants and working with local stakeholders, it guides groups through each stage of planning and implementing water quality improvement projects.

*         The IDEM Nonpoint Source Grant Compendium, which compiles all the guidance, forms, and policies a grantee needs to run a successful project in one easy-to-use online manual.

*         IDEM’s Print-on-Demand center, which has been enhanced with brochures and other outreach items for communities and groups to use for education at a pre-negotiated, low rate. Each item has the ability for personalization, allowing groups to build more awareness of their efforts locally without the need for a large print budget.

“IDEM’s goal is to achieve measurable improvements in water quality by addressing nonpoint source pollution through education, planning, and implementation,” said Commissioner Easterly. “With the help of local government and watershed groups, Hoosiers can take significant steps to protect Indiana’s lakes and streams.”

First there was www.algae.in.gov and now www.watersheds.in.gov — so we seem to be  moving in the right direction.