Contact Program Contact Zach Bishton Burke Engineering (317) 266-8000 zbishton@cbbel-in.com Media Contact Mary Ellen Stephenson OCM (765) 455-9414 mestephe@iuk.edu

Public input sought on Wildcat plan

KOKOMO, Ind.—The draft Wildcat Creek Stahl Ditch-Kitty Run Watershed Management Plan will be presented for public comment on Tuesday, February 27, at Indiana University Kokomo. Residents, recreational users of the watershed, and others affected by the plan are invited to attend and participate in either of two meetings, scheduled 4–5:30 p.m. and 7–8:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. The meetings are sponsored by the Wildcat Creek Watershed Alliance (WCWA), a citizen advocacy group.

Wildcat Creek watershed drains approximately 29,000 acres of land in central Howard County, providing drinking water and recreation resources. Since early 2005, the WCWA has been developing a management plan that would identify water quality and natural resource problems in the watershed, and suggest solutions. Christopher B. Burke Engineering is conducting the plan study.

“A balanced, effective watershed management plan will need informed input from people who will be affected,” said Zach Bishton of Burke Engineering. Comments are especially needed on local pollution concerns and specific water quality problems, he said.

Last fall, IU Kokomo hosted similar public forums, in which the WCWA presented initial work on the management plan. At those meetings, IU Kokomo Associate Professor of Microbiology Christian Chauret, Ph.D., discussed his research regarding the relative risks of E. coli bacteria in the Wildcat Creek watershed. Chauret, who is a WCWA board member, will attend the February 27 meetings and assist with question-and-answer sessions.

For more information, contact Zach Bishton at zbishton@cbbel-in.com or (317) 266-8000.