Watershed Based Education

The pages on the Watershed Based Education Site contain resources for families, homeowners, and teachers to explore and learn more about local watersheds and how to improve them. The site offers information about resources that Bluegrass Greensource promotes throughout Central Kentucky to engage homeowners in hands-on projects to improve their own watershed, along with grant opportunities to help fund best management practices to improve water quality.

Program Description

Through a generous grant from the U.S. EPA , administered through the Kentucky Division of Water, Bluegrass Greensource is working to improve water quality in several focus watersheds through implementation of the watershed-based plans (WBP) for Clarks Run and Hanging Fork watersheds, both in the Kentucky River Basin, and Hinkston Creek watershed in the Licking River Basin. The main goal of the program is to reduce human and livestock fecal inputs, increase and improve riparian buffer areas to reduce erosion, sedimentation, and nutrient loading in streams, and decrease other non-point source pollutants from urban and agricultural stormwater runoff.

Objectives include educating local homeowners, landowners, and students, enabling better septic system function, enhancing riparian zones, and building watershed stakeholder capacity for the long-term appreciation, understanding, and improvement of each watershed and its tributaries. To reach these objectives, Bluegrass Greensource offers education opportunities to increase knowledge of local water quality issues for local citizens, officials, and K-12 students and collaborates with county partners to provide input and financial and technical support for implementing best management practices.