Deer Creek-Sugar Creek Watershed

In an effort to improve water quality within Deer and Sugar creeks, the Carroll County Soil and Water Conservation District and WREC launched their second phase of watershed planning within the Wabash River in the fall of 2011. The project will kick off on April 1, 2012. The first phase of the project includes development of a watershed management plan, water quality sampling, social indicator surveys, and an education and outreach program. This phase is anticipated to conclude in late 2013. The second phase of the project will include on-the-ground implementation of recommendations made during the watershed management planning process and continuation of the education and monitoring programs. This phase is anticipated to begin in early 2014 and continue through 2015.

About the Watershed

The Deer Creek-Sugar Creek watershed covers drainages of three tributaries to the Wabash River - Deer Creek, Sugar Creek, and Buck Creek. Deer Creek begins north of Kokomo, Indiana and flows west through Miami, Howard and Carroll Counties before emptying into the Wabash River in Delphi. Sugar Creek rises west of Flora flowing west through Carroll and Tippecanoe Counties before entering the Wabash River near Americus, while Buck Creek follows the same path south of Sugar Creek. A small stretch of the Wabash River is included in this planning process (River Mile 330 to River Mile 319) as is the northeast corner of the City of Lafayette and Prophetstown State Park.

The Deer Creek-Sugar Creek watershed is primarily agriculture with 83% of the 345 square mile watershed in row crop agriculture. A majority of the land is privately owned and in corn-soybean rotation. The watershed is home to more than 100 confined feeding operations and several small towns including Delphi, Flora, Galveston, and Americus.