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Ritter Branch Project

Project Details

Vicinity Map, showing Ritter Branch project reach within the Turkey Creek watershed, east of Lake Wawasee.

Ritter Branch stream flowing from the continental divide, north to Hindman Lake was causing significant streambank erosion in Noble County. The stream was undercut, and continued to collapse, delivering sediment to the stream and to Hindman Lake. Hindman Lake is an undeveloped lake in the Wawasee Watershed 10-lake chain. Hindman Lake is documented in the Watershed Management Plan as hypereutrophic with high sediment and nutrient loads and suffers from bacterial contamination. It seemed ironic in such a pristine area of lakes to have this challenge right in the heart of the lake chain. Goal: To reduce sediment and nutrients discharged into Hindman Lake and the Knapp Lake – Village Lake chain of lakes.

Following heavy rain events the water of Ritter Branch flowed in a swift, strong, muddy streams in generally uninterrupted straight line to Hindman Lake. Streambank reinforcement,direction, grade control, rock lined shoots and berm reinforcement were all needed along the branch.