Home / not on homepage / Status of the Elkhart River in Noble County
As groups who want to improve water quality in the entire Elkhart River Watershed in Noble, LaGrange, Kosciusko, and Elkhart Counties, we sympathize with the concerns about flooding and sedimentation in the West Lakes area. ERRA has legally opened logjams on all parts of the river since 1985. We support the responsible opening of logjams, which can be done according to the IDNR Drainage Handbook without declaring the river a regulated drain. However, we fear that the proposed solution treats symptoms and not causes, will not resolve the problem, and will create greater problems downstream.
Local professionals have observed more flooding and sedimentation throughout the entire Elkhart River Watershed. We understand some of the causes to be:
* Many areas that currently flood are in historic floodplains (see flood map here)
* Increased runoff from more ditching, farm tiles and an increase in impervious surface from development
* Lack of conservation measures on the land, as well as the bank erosion caused by increased runoff, lead to sedimentation of the river
Turning portions of the Elkhart River into a regulated drain will not alleviate the problems. Speeding the flow of water from the headwaters will create:
* Increased flooding, sedimentation, and bank erosion in Ligonier, Goshen, Elkhart, and other parts of Noble and Elkhart County
* Loss of recreational, aesthetic, and economic value of property downstream
* Loss of habitat for wildlife and fish, including the state endangered Greater Redhorse
* Higher and higher drainage assessments for the property owners in the West Lakes area, when simple solutions do not work and more expensive work is proposed
The solution to this problem lies in slowing runoff and promoting conservation throughout the watershed, not in forcing water downstream. Some ways to do this are to:
* Install buffers on stream and river banks
* Promote conservation tillage and cover crops on cropland
* Promote Low Impact Development (rain gardens, pervious pavement, cisterns)
* Restore wetlands
* Install two-stage ditches
The ERRA received funding from an IDEM 319 grant to create a Watershed Management Plan. The Jones Lake/West Lakes area is a critical area. Cost-share funding is available to implement conservation practices that would achieve this goal. While this is not an overnight fix, we believe that in the long run it will achieve the goals that all parties want: decreased flooding and decreased bank erosion, sedimentation, and pollution in all parts of the watershed.
The ERRA and ERA welcome the opportunity to work with all parties to reach these goals. If the petition is not withdrawn, we consider Elkhart County and all downstream counties affected by this action and a representative of Elkhart County, St. Joseph County and Berrien County Michigan will need to be included in the joint drainage board.
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Noble County attempted to make portions of the Elkhart River a regulated drain but were successfully stopped by a lawsuit in 2003.
Here is the court’s ruling.
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UPDATES:
May 2010 – The Elkhart River Restoration Association submitted 640 signatures on a petition, against turning the Elkhart River into a Regulated Drain, to the Noble County Commissioners
07/21/09 – The Goshen City Council passes a resolution condemning Noble Counties proposal to turn portions of the Elkhart River into a regulated drain
07/23/09 – Goshen News Editorial against Noble Counties Actions
The Noble County Commissioners have been asked to turn the north branch of the Elkhart River into a Regulated Drain. The Elkhart River Restoration Association (ERRA) and the Elkhart River Alliance (ERA) want your help.
Noble County officials have been asked to reduce flooding in north-central Noble County (the West Lakes Area) by moving flood water quickly downstream — to downstream portions of the river in places like Ligonier, Goshen and Elkhart. This will increase flooding, erosion, sedimentation, E-coli and nutrients downstream and destroy aquatic habitat along the entire length of the river.
We, the undersigned, urge the Noble County commissioners to keep the Elkhart River a RIVER — and to respect our shared watershed and its value as an important natural resource. Furthermore, we urge our representatives at all levels of government to update drainage laws to protect rivers and watersheds.
The petition can be signed at the Elkhart County Works Together office at 206 S. Main Street, suite 1, in Goshen (above Ten Thousand Villages).
If you would like to help circulate the petition, please contact Stuart. He will get you your own copy!
Thanks!
- Lean more about Indiana Drainage Law here -
erafolks@gmail.com
May 6th, 2009 at 11:28 am
I am glad to see this group work to solve water quality issues watershed wide. To simply move a problem from one place to another does not solve anything. It seems that reducing run-off throughout the watershed is a big part of relieving flooding and improving water quality. This video clip is designed for kids, but it shows the value of rain gardens! http://www.public.coe.edu/McLoud/RainGarden/video.htm
June 17th, 2009 at 10:21 am
do not believe everything you read. the last two years the flooding in the West Lakes area is not part of the 100 year plan. I own a home on Lake Waldron and it is in the 100 year flood area. water is up higher than ever and has been up for two years. the water passing through Elkhart and Goshen will not be more than in the past it is just sitting upstream because the river is full of trees and silt. the idea of cleaning it is the only answer to this problem. bottom line is there is a simple clog in Mother Nature’s pipe. The purpose of the Re-Certification is for Monetary reasons. it will allow State and Federal dollars to flow (pardon the pun) to the river and the maintaining of its natural beauty and use.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Mr. Wade,
I am curious to know how long you have lived in this home and also how you know that these were not two seperate 100 year flood events. According to the USGS gage in Cosperville, which is just downstream of Waldron Lake, your area has not seen such high flows since 1993. That has nothing to do with any material in the stream. It has to do with unfortunate events that cause heavy snowmelt and rain to happen at the same time. 100 year floods can happen in consecutive years. I also do not understand how you think that moving more water from Waldron Lake quicker will not have an impact downstream. We are talking about a river system. Water is not just sitting there. If you canoe from Duke’s Bridge to Ligonier, you will see that there is nothing there holding any water back. It’s Mother Nature doing what she does. Please remember, it’s called a flood plain for a reason, because it may flood. That doesn’t mean once every 100 years. It means it may flood every year.
June 17th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Mr. Wade,
You’re lake is flooding for a few reasons…
1. Most of the homes built around the lake have been built in a flood plain.
See the following 30 year old FEMA flood map. View map ID 1801830025B (the second one listed)
http://msc.fema.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&categoryId=12001&parent_category_rn=12001&type=CAT_MAPPANEL&stateId=13021&countyId=13795&communityId=341530&stateName=INDIANA&countyName=NOBLE+COUNTY&communityName=NOBLE+CO+*&dfirm_kit_id=&dfirmCatId=null&isCountySelected=&isCommSelected=&userType=G&urlUserType=G&sfc=0&cat_state=13021&cat_county=13795&cat_community=341530
2. Higher than usual amounts of precipitation in the past few years, have caused increased flooding.
3. Rain water flows to the lakes after storm events have been accelerated by man-made drainage to the lakes in the form of ditches and field tiles. This problem has been exacerbated by an increase runoff water from impervious surfaces such as roads, drive-ways and roofs.
Please explain how turning the river into a regulated drain will get you Federal and State money?
Noble County needs to slow the water from upstream by restoring wetlands and stop building road and houses in the floodplain. Continuing to implement failed policies will ensure that problems continue for the West Lakes and the rest of the watershed.
June 30th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Several years ago I canoed from Oliver lake through to just east of Waldon Lake, so I think I can say I’ve seen some parts of the river that most people never will. Lots of trees down, hard to navigate. But it is a beautiful, and mostly wild stretch of river. Please, don’t turn it into a ditch!
June 30th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Perhaps it is time to really set the record straight. Back in the late 90’s when West Lakes was experiencing flooding, much less severe than today, the State of Indiana provided over $100,000 to clean out portions of the river flowing from the West Lakes. One stipulation was that Noble County declare the area a legal drain to provide funding to keep the debris from clogging the natural flow of the river. The West Lakes area is a natural drain for approximately three-quarters of Noble County and a portion of Lagrange. The cleanout, of natural debris and man made debris such as appliances and toilets, worked and the water flowed in and more importantly out of West Lakes as the watershed as designed by nature.
Noble County declared the area a legal drain and this was fought in court by the ERRA and others and they won. The reason for the court ruling was based on missteps by Noble County in calculating the impacted areas. Now a decade later we are here again. Gradually over the last decade the debris has accumulated again. The West Lakes Association, many of whom are elderly and with limited resources, gathered money two years ago to cleanout some of the accumulated limbs and logs. Many of these people enjoyed the West Lakes area as children and teens but have never seen flooding to the degree of the last two years. The water flows in but no longer flows out. After the previous cleanout the water flowed in and out freely but that has changed. The water flows in but not out. It has not rained significantly in the area for almost two weeks but water in the West Lakes just started to fall this week often less than one quarter inch per day, and remains high for this time of year. Low lying areas that hold water during flooding and serve as part of the watershed are usually dry by this point in the summer but continue to hold significant amounts of water.
The ERRA had a full decade to begin helping the area with long range concepts, as cited by this group as techniques to prevent runoff, but no West Lakes residents remember being contacted by this group, no training sessions for area farmers, and residents of Kendallville, Albion and other more populated areas have been conducted to our knowledge. In fact, until West Lakes started discussion with local and state officials on funding for clean out and long range planning the ERRA had no contact with the West Lakes area. The idea of declaring portions of the Elkhart River never was and is not now to send more water downstream from West Lakes. In times of tight state and local budgets to believe that vast amounts of money would be used to do anything but the basics of maintaining our natural resources is just fear mongering. Help organize river cleanout days, visibly provide educational events and literature on ways to slow runoff in the local towns in Noble and Lagrange counties. The time of the rhetoric from the ERRA is over and the time to start helping is at hand.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:01 am
Hey Voice,
Where do you think the water is going to go if not downstream? If you want to move it out of the West Lakes, just where exactly do you plan to send it? Is it going to go back upstream? No! It’s going to go downstream. Your area is not the only area where water is higher than normal this time of year. I have been in local rivers and streams five days a week since the middle of May and all areas are higher than normal. If you read my earlier comment you will notice that your area had not seen such high flows since the early 90’s. Couple that with any new development in the last 15 years and water is going to flow faster in to your lakes. The Elkhart River is more than just a drain to keep your homes from getting wet. It’s not the ERRA’s fault that many people built or bought homes in the flood plain. I will repeat: it’s called a fllod plain for a reason, because it floods.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:46 am
Unfortunately the flooding issues being experienced in the West Lakes area have been building up for several decades now and to try to fix them quickly is a mistake. A quick fix will not be the answer people are looking for and could create even more problems. I understand that homes are being damaged and public safety is at risk but I agree with Mr. Kring in that homes and infrastructure have been built in flood plain areas, which is where water is suppose to go. These flood plains are what nature intended to be used when large amounts of water entered our watershed these are areas are where water is suppose to go not where homes and infrastructure are to go.
I do not know if the ERRA knew of the plight of the West Lakes community over the last decade but I do know they have been clearing out log jams since the 1980s. And now they do have federal money that can be used to slow down stormwater runoff if urban areas (click here for more information http://www.elkhartriveralliance.org/sub-committees/urban-cost-share and look to the links at the bottom of the page). My understanding is that this information has been made available to the public and if it never came to the attention of the West Lakes community it may not be the fault of the ERRA.
My intent is that a long term problem can not be fixed with a short term solution. Please, before turning the Elkhart River into a Regulated Drain and opening the river system to unknown consequences, think through all of the possible solutions and all of the potential consequences. The actions taken today could have unforeseen consequences in the future.
This is the history of clean-ups (Also see the ERRA History under the ERRA Board tab on the home page):
ELKHART RIVER RESTORATION WORK
North Branch:
Oliver Lake to LaGrange/Noble Co. Line (2.5 miles)
Completed, Winter 1985
LaGrange/Noble Co. Line to North/South Branch Confluence (12.5 miles)
Completed, Spring 1986
Benton Area:
Co. Rd. 1100 W, Noble County, downstream to the Benton Dam (9.6 miles)
Completed, Fall 1989
Ligonier/Waterford Mills Area:
Downstream from confluence of the north and south branch to 1100 W, Noble County (8.47 miles)
Benton Dam downstream to Co. Rd. 40 (7 miles)
Completed, Winter 1991
Goshen Area:
Downstream 4.5 mi. from Goshen Pond Dam.
Completed, Summer 1997
North Branch:
Dukes Bridge to Mallard’s Roost Fish and Wildlife Area, Noble County (7.5 miles)
Completed, Winter 1999
South Branch:
near Albion, Noble County (2.2 miles)
Completed, Spring 2003
July 2nd, 2009 at 2:35 am
Dear Voices of West Lakes:
If I haven’t yet made this clear, let me say that I sympathize with your situation. It must be very frustrating (and at times frightening) dealing with the flooding in West Lakes.
It’s true that ERRA never contacted residents in West Lakes before the severity of the problem became public (just as fire fighters don’t go looking for fires until one starts and someone calls the fire department).
The good news is that this discussion about tending to our shared watershed has now become quite public. That means we have an opportunity to work together and create long-term solutions that benefit everyone.
One of the first steps Noble County could take would be to stop all home construction in the flood plain. There are plenty of old homes in floodplains around the entire country; but some municipalities (like Elkhart) are demonstrating responsible stewardship by banning new construction and/or buying those old homes and demolishing them in an effort to reclaim floodplains for their natural purpose (which is to store water during floods). The West Lakes area is the only place I know of where people continue to construct new homes even though it is common knowledge that the area regularly experiences flooding.
As for the notion that it’s fear mongering to suggest that aggressive measures may eventually follow a regulated drain designation, I’d have to disagree. Pursuing the designation is a red flag. I’m convinced that snag removal on the river will not alleviate flooding in the West Lakes area. My concern is that when this approach fails, it will be replaced by a more aggressive plan that is significantly damaging to the river. So, while the current plan may not be to straighten the river, etc. (I have never said such a concrete plan exists, although I have been quoted as saying this) — it is easy to see how a new, more environmentally detrimental plan could quickly develop.
Redesignating the Elkhart River a regulated drain will enable this to happen.
July 13th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
The actual solutions require both short and long term actions. Many of the solutions proposed by ERRA are long term in focus and could have had an impact if started a decade ago. But alas that is water under the bridge. While the area is a flood plain, and non of the residents deny that fact, the flooding is normally minimal and of short duration unlike that experienced the last two winters. As Scott Ziegler recently stated the plan is not to clear cut and increase the rate that water runs downstream. Despite this fact being repeated many times by different individuals this is still a message being sent by the ERRA and others. Just as we will never prevent all flooding, which has never been an expectation by the residents, the severity of recent floods needs quicker actions such as clearing debris from the river. This has helped in the past and there is no reason to believe that it would not have the same impact now. Keeping it clear seems to be the most reasonable approach. Reality is no one can prevent water from flowing downstream and you will get the water because you are downstream. West Lakes has no desire to have you experience flooding that is not in proportion to the amount of precipitation. The reality is you haven’t been getting as much lately because it has remained in West Lakes and is not flowing downstream as nature would intend. West Lakes is getting water out of proportion with the amount of precipitation and it has stayed longer than due to outflow issues. It will take time to reach long term solutions and we are not being short sighted by requesting the area be declared a legal drain when reality is that by the natural flow it is a drain.
July 14th, 2009 at 6:21 am
Voices of West Lakes,
You wrote…
“The reality is you haven’t been getting as much lately (downstream) because it has remained in West Lakes and is not flowing downstream as nature would intend.”
This is not true.
Everyone throughout the watershed has experienced higher than normal water levels.
These high levels are the result of more precipitation than we have seen in 15-20 years. High water levels throughout the watershed are confirmed by data from USGS gauging stations along the river. I have personally witnessed levels on the Goshen Dam Pond higher this past winter than I have ever seen them since at least 1990.
Therefore, the cause of the more severe (and deeper) flooding in your West Lakes flood plain is simply a result of higher than usual amount of precipitation. I know this is inconvenient but it’s completely normal and natural.
July 15th, 2009 at 3:44 am
On July 10, 2009 I and 5 others canoed/kyaked from Waldron lake to c.r.600 what a great time enjoying nature.
There are no log jambs from Waldron to 450 and the trees that are in the river from 450 to 600 are not filled with man made debris so the water is able to flow through, over, under, around the trees. Yes there is some trash that needs to be removed.
I have helped to do log jamb removal near Cosperville in recent years and now that the river is lower we will be able to continue on cleaning in different locations.
Last month I and probaly 65 other river hounds went from Goshen to Elkhart to clean up the man made debris and had a blast. It is a shame on the amount of trash that ends up in our great river. It would be great to have all of the Rivershed celebrate the same day. Maybe someone from each lake association and I could organize such an event with a morning clean up, afternoon grill outs, games and fellowship in each area. It could be a channel or a ditch that flows into your lake.
E.R.R.A. and E.R.A. are concerened with the Elkhart River Watershed and I am a member of both.
I live in Goshen on the dam/river just north of c,r, 38 on the west bank and am witnessing the silt flowing in creating an island that purple loosestife thrives on, in another 5 years I probally will not have waterfront access. So I am doing what I can by helping to educate, preserve, restore and maintain the river wherever and whenever I can.
See you on the water.
July 15th, 2009 at 6:33 am
I understand that the folks in West Lakes want some short term relief, but I do not understand why it is too late to work on long term solutions. I hope that my grandchildren and great grandchildren can enjoy living in this watershed! Let’s not ignore reasonable short-term efforts, but LONG TERM planning throughout the watershed should be our most important work here.
There is a big difference in a natural river and a regulated drain. A river is more than a method to provide drainage. A river belongs to all of us.
A regulated drain is controlled by the local surveyor and drainage board. At a meeting of the St. Joe River Basin Commission on June 2, 2009, Scott Ziegler was asked what recourse would the public have if they did not approve of how a regulated drain was managed. His response was that they could vote the officials who approved it out of office. That seems to me like locking the barn door after the horse is already out!
The opposition West Lakes is facing is to giving control of a natural resource that effects (and belongs to) the entire watershed to a small group of upstream landowners to manage in a way that best meets their needs and does not require them to consider the needs of everyone else in the watershed.
Please, let’s take the regulated drain threat off the table, and work together to find both short and long term solutions to protect all the people living here (now and in the future), and that help us to be better stewards of this resource.
I was a part of the recent ERRA/ERA celebration. Many of the things done there promoted responsible stewardship throughout the watershed. The river clean-up; the tours of urban and ag conservation practices; the rain barrel auction; the workshops on building rain barrels and raingardens: all these things were offered to help us see that we can all be a part of the solution.
I understand that this celebration was a long way from West Lakes, but that was because the volunteers were from areas downstream. I’d love to help with similar activities anywhere in the watershed.
July 16th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
The pictures from the clean up are great
http://www.elkhartriveralliance.org/saturday-events-were-a-success
August 1st, 2009 at 2:29 am
I have fought other attempts to make streams into drains in this area. The biggest weapon against laying waste to the land is pictures of other “drain work”.
Take a close look at the pictures at this site: http://www.elkhartriveralliance.org/river-education/indiana-drainage-law
Streams protected by trees help filter the water that runs off from the ground. Cold water can hold more oxygen than warm water. Temperature also influences the rate of photosynthesis by algae and aquatic plants. As water temperature rises, the rate of photosynthesis increases providing there are adequate amounts of nutrients.
Instead of stripping the land much like a mining operation would, why not clean the log-jams out and improve the banks along the stream. Through volunteer efforts, many streams are rescued by putting logs and rocks along the bank instead of in the river.
This prevents the sedimentation of the stream and promotes cooler water. It increases stream quality.
Better stream quality can draw more people to canoe or visit areas to fish. This means $$$ can be introduced into the local economy. We could all use that right now.
August 3rd, 2009 at 10:37 am
Nobody wants to ruin the water quality of the Elkhart River. These petitions read like they were written by the same politicians we have in Washington who want us to sign off on things without really knowing the details. They are exactly the opposite of the real answer.
The same people who complain about cleaning up the debris in the Elkhart River to put flow back where nature had it just a few years ago are the same ones who complain because the river has e-coli, is unswimmable, and the fish are unfit for eating.
The answer does not take a petition or a rocket scientist to figure out. Water is backing up—-flooding homes upstream—not all homes are on city sewers. (BTW the West Lakes are now on a sewer system) When the water floods e-coli is going to pollute the river.
August 3rd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Tim,
I’m glad to hear that “nobody wants to ruin the water quality of the Elkhart River”. Unfortunately, turning it into a regulated drain gives the Noble County Surveyor the authority (and the money) to do with it as he pleases. It takes control from you, me and even the Noble County Commissioners and drainage board. Handing over the management of the Elkhart River to one person (with no training or qualifications to manage such an ecosystem) is clearly bad policy. The Indiana drainage law gives the Surveyor this power. Instead, the drainage law needs to be updated to reflect what science has taught us over the past 100 years (environmental impact, the value of wetlands, the importance of flood plains, etc.).
I applaud the West Lakes for sewering the lakes, but continuing to build in the flood plain is problematic. Every time it floods, water washes fertilizers from your lawns and oils and coolants from your roads and driveways into the river. This means that the West Lakes is probably a huge source of pollution for the river.
Construction/development in the flood plain should stop immediately.
You keep mentioning that log jams are causing the problem. Here are some unanswered questions:
1. You can remove the log jams without redesignating the river. So, why turn it into a legal drain?
2. Where are these log jams that you want to remove? How many are there? When was the last time you floated the river downstream?
3. Where is the proof that these jams will eliminate your flooding?
Do you have professional hydrologists recommending their removal?
4. The Elkhart River Alliance members have been removing log jams in the river for many years – for free!
Why not let them instruct West Lake volunteers on how to safely and legally remove snags along the river?
5. Why aren’t you working to slow the water from upstream instead of trying to move your flood water onto someone else downstream?
August 10th, 2009 at 4:25 am
Sam – to answer a few questions, West Lakes will be floating the river soon with the IDNR to look at several issues (natural and manmade) that may be contributing to the innability of the West Lakes chain to drain as quickly as it should.
I believe that one of the points to declaring the river a legal drain is to unlock funding to maintain the river. Unfortunately, some of the work you describe requires appropriate equipment and trained people to operate it. You cannot rely on volunteers (many of whom are elderly) and volunteer funds from just the West Lakes chain (the only likely source for both volunteers and $) to maintain the river, especialy when the water originates from several other lakes and chains of lakes upstream – do you think the folks on Sylvan, the Indian Lakes, local farmers etc. are going to contribute time, sweat and money to address a problem that they help cause if it doesn’t affect them negatively?? Probably not. Should all contributors that cause the problem also contribute to solving the problem? Of course they should. Currently, the West Lakes residents bear the greatest burden and are expected to fund the cost to fix the problem with little or no help from outside parties.
There is no appreciable “building” occuring on West Lakes – most of the chain is unbuildable and remains natural. Nearly all of those new properties replaced older ones and are up above the required flood plane. To state that the homes should be bought by the local government as others have mentioned on this board is ludicrous – that isn’t going to happen.
We need to address the problem that we can actual get our arms around – the one point where water exits. The sources of the water flowing in encompass many other lakes, private and public landowners and farms. There are also several other local governments to contend with. I’m sorry, but no amount of lecturing is going to convince some farmer to put in a rain garden or dig a retention pond (on his own property) to slow rain runoff. As for slowing water into the West Lakes, just how do you suggest we do that – build a dam? Push the water elsewhere – on who’s land? With hundreds of sources, where do you start? Those ideas are great but they take years to develop and produce results. When high water prevents emergency equipment from reaching a homeowner in need of help, we need a quick resolution to go along with long term solutions