The St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative hosted a public meeting Wednesday evening to discuss problems in Cedar Creek that could be leading to poor water quality.
The meeting focused on the Cedar Creek watershed management plan project, which includes more than 174-thousand acres across Allen, Dekalb and Noble counties.
The meeting included a presentation of 30-years worth of water quality data for the creek.
One question that came up was how individuals could be a part of improving water quality. Project manager Kyle Quandt said it’s about more than just a single individual.
“People always say ‘what can I do? You know, I’m just one person,’" she said. "But collectively we can make a huge difference.”
Some individual actions can include using phosphorus-free fertilizer, taking cars to car washes or washing them in the grass and keeping chemicals out of storm drains.
Some larger projects could be keeping a rain barrel, which collects rain and saves it to water plants or otherwise utilize, and building a rain garden, which allows rain to collect and soak into the soil.
The initiative is also asking the community along Cedar Creek to share what they identify as the problems in the creek using this survey.
