Current and Past Projects in the Watershed 
Projects include wetland buffer restoration and enhancement, dredging, contruction of water and sediment control basins, converting lands to wildlife habitat areas, storm water detention basins, feasibility studies, etc.
The Troy-Cedar Branch Project
The Troy-Cedar Branch project is located in Whitley County on the West side of CR 550 W. The Troy-Cedar Lake Branch of Elder Ditch empties into Ridinger Lake. The project includes stabilizing up to 1900 feet of streambanks by installing fencing to exclude cattle from the stream; restoring a minimum 30-foot wide riparian corridor using native vegetation, installing rock grade control/riffle.
The Trump Project
The Trump project is located on Shanton Ditch north of Pierceton and east of SR 13 in Kosciusko County. This stream discharges to Pierceton Lake which then flows to Ridinger Lake. Sediment and nutrient sources from livestock and agricultural runoff on this property were recently addressed with the assistance of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Our project will stabilize approximately 1750 feet of streambanks, as well as establish a minimum 30 foot riparian corridor with native vegetation.
Upper Tippecanoe River Lake Association Project
By Jan Barkley, Crooked Lake President
The Upper Tippecanoe River Lake Association (UTRLA) was organized in mid 2005. The association consists of concerned lake residents from Big, Crooked, Crane, Goose, Loon, New and Old lakes. These lakes are at the headwaters of the Tippecanoe River. The association’s purpose was to insure the water quality of the upper lakes of the watershed and to work together as a group to obtain grant money. It was determined that the UTRLA lakes were in need of current diagnostic studies and a strategic management plan. Each representative listed several concerns and trouble spots on their lake. With the guidance of the TWF Watershed Coordinator, UTRLA applied for a LARE grant and was awarded a grant in July of 2006 in the amount of $72,000.
Three consulting firms were approached to submit bids. The UTRLA group met with the firms on October 16, 2006 and awarded the bid, with the approval of the DNR, to Williams Creek Consulting (WCC), Indianapolis, Indiana in cooperation with Empower Results and Commonwealth Biomonitoring.
The goals and objectives of the LARE grant are:
Update the current water quality data Map the current watershed conditions. Facilitate public involvement and outreach. Complete document preparation and provided project management. Over the last 8 months the UTRLA group along with WCC, Empower Results and Commonwealth has held three informational meetings for the residents of the seven lakes. The first meeting was in December 
of 2006 to inform residents of the awarding of the LARE grant, to explain the scope of the grant, to answer questions and to request documentation of any problems pertaining to the lake. The second public meeting was in July 2007 and addressed weeds and fish populations in the seven lakes. Representatives from the DNR and two weed control companies were on hand to answer questions. Maps of each lake were available for residents to mark areas where weeds were of concern. The third public meeting was held in August 2007 and addressed water quality. UTRLA has applied for a LARE grant, as a result of the Diagnostic Study performed by Williams Creek Consulting, for sediment traps on Big, Crooked and Loon lakes.
During the past several months, WCC staff has been busy meeting with representatives of each lake and mapping the lakes and performing weed identification.
Plans are in the works for a public watershed tour this fall and the last and final public meeting will be in December 2007, with the results of the diagnostic study and recommendations for the management plan of each lake.
The picture on the right are plantings on an inlet to Loon Lake.
Past Projects
- Hanna B. Walker- restored a legal drain and sediment trap to prevent nutrient, sediment and bacteria loading to the lake.
- Kuhn Ditch-restoring the hydrology to three wetland areas totaling 8 acres, reforesting 40 acres of existing corn & soybean fields by planting 18,000 trees, returning 48 acres to native prairie lands and install grade controls to the main stream to control nutrient loads to the lake
- Stork Wildlife Habitat- co-sponsored a project to convert 6 acres of cropland to wildlife habitat located in the Grassy Creek watershed
- Miller/Rostachek-involved construction of 2700 lineal feet of water and sediment basins on two severely eroding farm fields into Elder Ditch, to stop sediment loads
- Cormany Farms Buffer-teamed up with Cormany Farms in establishing a filter strip buffer along the McDonald-Cunningham Ditch, located in the Grassy Creek watershed-to help trap the sediment, nutrients and pesticides coming from the adjacent fields before they could enter the streams or lake
- Palmer Wetland Restoration-restore and enhance an existing 2 acre drained wetland and replace the 24” legal drainage tile was re-routed to drain into the wetland, this will result I a sediment/nutrient trap flowing into the Cedar Lake Branch of Elder Ditch
- Langhor Project-re-routing a legal drain and constructing a sediment trap and wetland filter along Shanton Ditch-to prevent the excess of sediment, nutrients and bacteria loading
- Dredging projects-sponsored dredging of 3 of Lake Tippecanoe’s inlets that had protection practices in place to clean up the nutrient laden sediments
- Smalley Lake-sponsered the diagnostice study for the Smalley Lake sub-watershed to pinpoint the high concentrations of nutrients and sediment that flows from both the Northern Inlet and the Tippecanoe River
- Crooked Lake Projects- construction of five sediment retention basins to help reduce sediment and nutrient loading into the headwaters of the Tippecanoe River watershed
- Putney Ditch-restored and stabilized the ditch that drains to Barbee lake
- Webster Drain Study-identified 18 storm drains and recommended steps to improve water quality that drains to the lake