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Fayette County Soil and Water outlines programs, seeks larger Clean Water Indiana grant
Summary
Rebecca Sinclair of Fayette County Soil and Water described recent outreach, invasive-species removal and tree giveaways, said the group distributed about $41,000 to residents under the current Clean Water Indiana grant, and said it will request $125,000 in the next grant cycle to expand watershed and public-engagement programs.
Rebecca Sinclair, speaking for Fayette County Soil and Water, described the organization’s recent work and plans and said it will seek a larger Clean Water Indiana grant next year.
Sinclair said the agency — which she described as a non-regulatory body that has worked with Fayette County since 1953 — has focused on invasive species removal, cover-crop funding, a successful tree giveaway and public outreach. She told commissioners the group distributed roughly $41,000 directly to residents over the past three years from a Clean Water Indiana (CWI) grant (about $24,000 for invasive-species removal, $15,000 in cover-crop funding and about $2,000 for tree-related programs).
"We're going to be asking for a 125,000 because we're going to do a lot more programs," Sinclair said, describing planned initiatives including a watershed study using the Hoosier River Watch protocol, public water sampling, and a firefly-count program that will engage volunteers.
Sinclair said the watershed study would create a baseline data set for streams and smaller tributaries — the first study of that scope in the county since 2003 — and asked commissioners to consider helping form an advisory body to support outreach and program delivery. Sinclair did not ask for direct county funding during her comment but said the group will distribute a list of programs and newsletters after the meeting.
Next steps: the Soil and Water representative will share program materials with commissioners; any formal request for county funds or partnership would return to the board as a separate agenda item.
