Lake, River Projects Get Grant Funding
New grants for the care of Indiana’s water bodies totaling more than $814,000 have been awarded through the Lake and River Enhancement program, part of the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife.
The projects involve 13 counties and more than 40 lakes and rivers. Local sponsors submitted the applications and commit to sharing a portion of the total cost. DNR’s share comes from the LARE fee paid annually by boat owners to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The grants allow for the completion of projects that would be difficult for local organizations to fund on their own.
These new LARE grants fund biological, engineering, construction and watershed land treatment projects throughout the state.
“Our goal with projects such as these is to improve aquatic habitat and enhance recreational opportunities for boating and fishing,” said Mark Reiter, director of DNR Fish & Wildlife.
A list of projects by water body, county, project type and grant award follows:
Among the LARE grants awarded to area projects are:
- Tippecanoe Lake Watershed Area (Kosciusko County) for construction. Total: $50,000
- Winona Lake (Kosciusko County) for engineering feasibility study. Total: $48,400
- Hindman Lake/Ritter Branch (Kosciusko County) for design/build. Total: $33,600
- Barbee Lakes Chain (Kosciusko County) for Water Quality Monitoring. Total: $42,410
- Dewart Lake/Cable Run (Kosciusko County) for design/build. Total: $56,000
- Dewart Lake/Hasse Court and Quaker Haven Project (Kosciusko County) for design/build. Total: $12,000
- Baugo Creek/Gongwer Project (Elkhart County) for design/build. Total: $48,000
- Baugo Creek/Stewart Project (Elkhart County) for construction. Total: $27,200
- South Twin Lake (LaGrange County) for construction. Total: $640
- LaGrange County Lakes (LaGrange County) for water quality monitoring. Total: $9,600
- Lake of the Woods/McClish Lake (Steuben and LaGrange counties) for watershed diagnostic study. Total: $19,480
- Pigeon Creek Watershed (Steuben County) for watershed land treatment. Total: $40,000
- Bowman Creek (St. Joseph County) for engineering feasibility study. Total: $56,000
- Juday Creek (St. Joseph County) for construction. Total: $96,000
- St. Joseph River (St. Joseph County) for design/build. Total: $56,000
- Pine Creek, Potato Creek and Worster Lake (Marshall and St. Joseph counties) for watershed diagnostic study. Total: $48,000
- Raccoon Creek Watershed (Putnam County) for watershed land treatment. Total: $20,000
- Big Creek (Posey County) for construction. Total: $28,000
- Blue Grass Creek (Vanderburgh County) for watershed land treatment. Total: $15,000
- Geist Reservoir/Dry Run and Branch Creek Project (Hamilton and Marion counties) for design/build. Total: $20,000
- Geist Reservoir/Thorpe Creek (Hamilton and Marion counties) for engineering feasibility study. Total: $68,000
- Lake Hollybrook Watershed (Owen County) for watershed land treatment. Total: $20,000
Grant totals are $814,330.