Better water quality may soon be coming to some local lakes, thanks to the latest round of Lake and River Enhancement grants from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Koontz Lake was awarded $100,000 and Lake Maxinkuckee got over $46,000 for wetland enhancement. Lake Bruce was awarded almost $47,000 for water quality monitoring.
Funding was also provided for watershed land treatment projects along a pair of local rivers: $25,000 for the Yellow River in Marshall County and $15,000 for the Kankakee River in Jasper and Newton counties. The DNR says those projects give incentives to farmers to install things like filter strips, pollinator plots, and fencing, to help reduce sediment and nutrient loss.
All of these Lake and River Enhancement projects have to be completed in two years, and local sponsors share part of the cost. LARE grants are funded by boat registration fees.
