Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Watershed Plan for the Silver Creek in Southwestern Illinois.

Silver Creek is located in the Kaskaskia River watershed in southwestern Illinois. Land use in the Silver Creek watershed is primarily dedicated to row crop agriculture (corn and soybeans), but parts of the watershed are urbanized due to the influence of the Saint Louis metropolitan area. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) has identified multiple impaired streams in the watershed, with nutrients and sediments being the primary sources of impairment. HeartLands Conservancy (HLC) received a 604(b) grant from the IEPA in 2014, with additional funding from Madison County, to develop a watershed-based plan the Upper Silver Creek (USC) watershed. The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) partnered with HLC to assess water quality conditions in the watershed and to identify best management practices (BMPs) that could improve water quality. The Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) tool was used to identify types and locations of BMPs throughout the USC watershed. Output form the ACPF tool was also used in a subsequent successful application to the IEPA for a 319(h) implementation project which is currently underway. Water quality monitoring in the watershed was initiated in summer 2017 and is currently focused on collecting baseline, pre-implementation conditions. Monitoring will continue as BMPs are implanted throughout the watershed. Potential impacts of the BMPs were also evaluated using the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT).