Cobus Creek Watershed Diagnostic Study

Cobus Creek is a winding, scenic creek that's headwaters are located north of Garver Lake in Cass County, Michigan. The creek flows south through Elkhart County before draining into the St. Joseph River, near the Elkhart Conservation Club. Cobus Creek winds through the backyards of several Michiana homeowners and is held in high regard by watershed stakeholders given its natural meandering appearance. Cobus Creek is also unique in that it is one of very few cold-water streams in the Michiana region supporting a naturally reproducing population of brown trout. Addtionally, the headwaters of Cobus Creek is home to muliple lake communities supporting various forms of recreation. These are just a few reasons why there has been a significant interest among landowners and other stakeholders of in Cobus Creek watershed to gain a better of the creek and its tributaries.

In November 2015 the St. Joseph River Basin Commission received an Indiana Department of Natural Resources Lake and River Enahancement program grant to study the water quality within Cobus Creek Watershed. More specifically, the study will describe the current water quality trends and conditions within the watershed, identify potentail water quality problems, prioritize potential conservation or improvement projects within the watershed, and predict and assess factors of success for future work within the watershed. The scope of work for the study includes gathering and mapping current environmental data, collecting current chemical, biological, and habitat data, modeling pollution in lakes and streams, prioritizing management potential projects, and producing a final document. After an extensive bidding process, the Basin Commission selected Arion Consultants, based out of Warsaw, IN, as the lead consultant on the study. The study will be available for public comment towards the end of 2016. The final document will be approved by early 2017.