FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A plan to improve the water quality in the Upper Maumee River Watershed will need help from those in rural and urban areas for it to succeed, according to soil and water conservation officials in Indiana and Ohio.

The Maumee River, which begins in Fort Wayne at the confluence of the St. Marys and St. Joseph rivers, is Lake Erie’s largest tributary. The watershed covers nearly 248,000 acres in four counties – Allen and DeKalb in Indiana and Defiance and Paulding in Ohio.

In December 2014, a management plan submitted by the Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) in Allen and Defiance counties was approved by the U.S. EPA, Ohio EPA and Indiana Department of Environmental Management. The nearly 400-page plan includes a synopsis of problems in the watershed and suggestions for improving water quality.

To help achieve the goals outlined in the plan, cost-share programs will be available to homeowners and landowners. This is the first management plan for the Upper Maumee River watershed.

Officials looked at all sources of pollutants, but with row crops and pastureland making up about 78 percent of the watershed, agriculture has a big influence on water quality, said Sharon Partridge-Domer, watershed program manager with the Allen County SWCD.

“We have to improve contributions from agriculture because it’s so much of the watershed,” she noted. “We want to convey they are a big part of the solution.”

Urban residents could make use of such practices as rain gardens and barrels and urban filter strips, Partridge-Domer said. “There’s also an education component. We’re trying to get the word out there. For example, you might not know you can buy fertilizer that doesn’t contain phosphorous.”

Officials should know which practices might be available for cost-share funds by later this month or next, she said. The report is for use by anyone with an interest, she explained.

“This is important because of the connection of this area to Lake Erie,” Partridge-Domer stated. “We need to take a look at this area and study it. We started (working on the plan) a couple of years ago. Part of those two years was spent identifying water quality concerns and the sources of those concerns. We now have a very clear picture of those concerns, what’s causing the problems and what needs to happen.”

The process of compiling data for the report brought out things officials didn’t know, such as the number of working – and failing – septic systems in the watershed, said Stephanie Singer, Upper Maumee Watershed coordinator with the Defiance County SWCD.

“It’s important to understand that everything we do on the land impacts the water quality in the western basin of Lake Erie,” she said. “It’s one small piece of the puzzle. It’s also important for each person to take on the responsibility (to help clean up the watershed). Everyone is responsible for their property, whether they’re a landowner with a fourth of an acre or a farmer with 500 acres.”

Research for the management plan began after the SWCDs in Allen and Defiance counties were approved for federal Clean Water Act Section 319 grants by Indiana and Ohio. The grants are distributed by the federal EPA to the states, which administer them as they see fit.

Officials looked at the area’s geology, topography, soils, climate, flooding history, land use, hydrology, endangered and invasive species, city and county master plans and demographics, Partridge-Domer said. Water samples were collected at 11 points in Indiana and eight in Ohio.

“We picked the critical areas that need to be addressed and prioritized them,” she said. “We set some goals for water quality improvement – an action plan. We know all of these things, so what are we going to do about it?”

Cost-sharing will help watershed residents with the financial burden of trying something different, Singer said. “We’re fortunate in our county and state to have these large bodies of freshwater. They’re a gem on our planet. There’s not one magic solution. But it just can’t be a small portion (of the residents) saying it’s not okay; it has to be a large mass.”

One goal of the plan is to reduce dissolved reactive phosphorous, Partridge-Domer said. To accomplish that and to otherwise improve water quality, farmers should fine-tune their nutrient management plans and do soil testing every year or so. They can use such practices as filter strips and restrict where their livestock go on the farm.

“Farmers should know what their inputs are,” she added. “There are so many out there doing a fantastic job. They make it their business to know.”

To view the plan, visit www.savemaumee.org and for more information, go to www.uppermaumeewatershed.com

Findings from the plan will be discussed at the Tri-State Conservation Farming Expo, March 24 at the Potawatomi Inn, Angola, Ind., and the River Summit in early April in Fort Wayne.