Tri-County HUA
Initiated
in 1991
249,000
acres in LaPorte, Marshall and St. Joseph counties
in northern Indiana
- Potential
surface and groundwater contamination because:
- unconfined outwash aquifer
- sandy soils
- intensive agriculture
Groundwater
is sole source of drinking and domestic water supplies
- Major
crops
- corn
- soybean
- wheat
- potatoes
- alfalfa
- Specialty
crops:
- mint
- green beans
- dry beans
- Livestock:
- hogs
- dairy cattle
- beef cattle
1991 through 1997
- Erosion and sediment control
- Erosion and sediment
control practices on over 45,600 acres of cropland.
-critical area planting, streambank stabilization, grass waterways, increased
crop residue, water and sediment control basins. - Sediment carried
off-site reduced by 235,000 tons/year.
- Annual increases in
conservation tillage to 63% on soybean acres and in no-till soybeans to 37%.
Conservation tillage on corn acres equaled 24% andno-till conr acres were 10% of
the total corn acres
- Integrated Crop Management
- Crop management
plans on 10,090 acres saving $128,000 input costs.
- improved fertilizer-use efficiency, nutrients credited from legumes and
manure, integrated pest management used.
- Nutrient Management
- 22 manure storage
facilities - 64,000 tons of manure managed.
- Manure and soil
testing - 163 tests.
- Drinking water protection
- Indiana Farmstead
Assessment - 2 assessments.
- Abandoned wells -
19 wells plugged.
- Outreach
- Field Days and
meetings - 1064 people.
