Feb. 8—INDIANAPOLIS — The Elkhart County Soil and Water Conservation District will be receiving a grant award of $150,000.

The award is part of an Indiana State Department of Agriculture and State Soil Conservation Board award of $2,313,287, in matching grant funds to 26 projects within soil and water conservation districts statewide and soil health organizations through the Clean Water Indiana program, a news release stated.

The Storm Water Alliance Management Program, or SWAMP, has been providing Elkhart County farmers with Elkhart County dollars to implement conservation practices including: blind inlets, cover crops, filter strips, grade stabilization structures, grassed waterways and exclusion fencing. The purpose of this grant is to improve the SWAMP program and offer additional funding for local land users and expand into urban areas.

“Providing farmers and landowners with tools and funding to keep our Indiana waterways clean and their soil structure healthy is key to keeping Indiana agriculture thriving,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the release. “This funding will allow 48 organizations across 26 projects to improve their local water systems, keep their soil healthy and keep their communities thriving. Last year’s increase in Clean Water Indiana funding from the general assembly is already making a lasting impact.”

The Clean Water Indiana program is administered by the state’s soil conservation board. The program, led by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, provides financial assistance to landowners and conservation groups that are working to reduce runoff from non-point sources of water pollution, whether it’s on agricultural land, urban areas or eroding streambanks.

Once received, districts can use the funds to partner with other counties or address specific needs within their jurisdiction. Some examples include participating in a cost share program, hiring staff, providing technical assistance, implementing cover crop incentive programs or increasing watershed capacity.

Clean Water Indiana is managed by ISDA’s Division of Soil Conservation and funded by a portion of the state’s cigarette tax. Projects can be up to three years in length and grantees could apply for any dollar amount that was necessary to complete the project.

Funded projects ranged from $10,000 to $300,000. In addition to CWI funds, each grantee is required to produce a match for their project, which can be cash or in-kind. Projects requesting staffing were required to have a 25% match for that component, while all other project areas required a 50% match. Many SWCDs will target producers not currently served by other conservation programs.

To learn more, visit www.elkcoswcd.org.