Water
INDIAN-CAHOKIA CREEK WATERSHED
Madison and Macoupin Counties | 126,000 Acres
Drains to: Cahokia Diversion Channel
Communities: Bethalto, Bunker Hill, Dorchester, Dorsey, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Hartford, Holiday Shores, Moro, Roxana, South Roxana, Staunton, Wilsonville, Wood River, Worden
Townships and Districts: Bunker Hill, Chouteau, Dorchester, Edwardsville, Fort Russell, Gillespie, Hamel, Moro, Olive, Omphghent, Pin Oak, Staunton, Wood River
Impairments: Alteration in stream-side or littoral vegetative covers, iron, changes in stream depth and velocity patterns, loss of instream cover, fecal coliform, fish-passage barrier, dissolved oxygen, total phosphorus, total suspended solids, aquatic algae
Watershed Plan Completed: 2018 – IEPA Approval 2019
About This Watershed
The Indian-Cahokia Creek watershed is located approximately 18 miles northeast of downtown St. Louis, Missouri and stretches from Edwardsville north into Macoupin County. The watershed is home to approximately 31,500 people, the majority of which live in unincorporated areas where farming is the primary land use. Agricultural land makes up 58% of the watershed, with most of that land in row crop farming.
In 2020, HeartLands Conservancy worked with the Dunlap Lake Property Owner Association to complete a Master Plan that focuses on improving lake health and ensuring the viability of the lake for generations to come. Dunlap Lake is a major waterbody and drainage basin in the Indian-Cahokia Creek Watershed.
Funding Opportunities | Update
HeartLands Conservancy applied and received the Section 319(h) grant in partnership with Madison County. The total project cost is around $1.57 million, with Illinois EPA providing 55 percent or $831,847 in grant funds and local landowners and partners (HeartLands Conservancy and Madison County Stormwater Management) providing 45 percent, or $710,441 in match.Illinois EPA awards nearly $862,000 to HeartLands Conservancy for water quality protection within the Indian Creek – Cahokia Creek Watershed in Madison County
The grant will provide reimbursement for installing pollution reduction practices primarily in agricultural fields. Some of these practices include grassed waterways, ponds, water and sediment control basins and stream channel stabilization.