Watershed Description

The Headwaters Mud Creek Watershed is a 16,707-acre watershed that drains land in Madison County, Hamilton County, City of Noblesville, Town of Fishers, and City of Indianapolis. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of the watershed is within the Town of Fishers planning area, of which 71% is within the Town’s incorporated areas. Much of the waterways within the Town of Fishers planning area are regulated drains with the exception of a small stretch of Mud Creek north of SR 238 to I-69. The regulated drains include: Mud Creek Drain, Daniel Heiny, James McCarty, Exit Ten Drain, Booth-Snead, Nancy Kimberlin, John Beaver, Russell Johnson, William McKinstray, and Sarah Morgan.

A small portion of the watershed was developed for residential use during the late 1980s but majority in the 1990s and more recently in the early 2000s. More than half (52%) of the watershed is in single family residential developments and 17% remains undeveloped in agricultural use. There are also a number of large golf courses (Hawthorne Golf Course, Ironwood Golf Course, Ironwood Windermere Golf Course, and Ironwood Golf Academy) in the Headwaters Mud Creek Watershed. Almost 30% of the watershed is either in the City of Noblesville jurisdiction or unincorporated in the Town of Fishers but within the Town’s planning and zoning jurisdiction.

Existing Conditions and Concerns

Existing condition and concerns were gathered using a variety of data sources. All resources are referenced in Chapter 7 of this Master Plan. Supporting documentation on water quantity data listed below can be found in Appendix 2 and water quality in Appendix 3.

• Detailed floodplain study (Zone AE) has been completed for Mud Creek.
• This watershed was the subject of three different studies done for the Hamilton County Surveyors Office. The first study found that the discharges used for the Flood Insurance Study were too low. New discharges were calculated and these re-coordinated, higher values have been used in the January 2010 preliminary Hamilton County FIS mapping. The additional studies evaluated the existing conditions in the watershed as well as looking at potential future problems/concerns. One USGS stream gauge monitoring flow and stage level exists on Mud Creek downstream of Fishers. That gauge was in operation from 1958 to 1976.
• Based on the Mud Creek Watershed Plan, existing condition flow rates in portions of the watershed are lower than the default Town or County release rates for new development. It appears that these restrictive release rates have not been made a part of the Town or County ordinances. Proposed development is, as a result, allowed to increase the runoff from any given site in the affected subwatersheds.
• The current Flood Insurance Study model of Mud Creek appears to have used outdated or less detailed data and methodologies than are currently available. The results are Base Flood Elevations (BFE), floodplain delineations, and floodway determinations that inaccurately portray the real flood risks along this stream. There are 3 single family residential structures in the effective floodplain for Mud Creek that are below the BFE currently calculated in the FIS mode.. More structures are delineated in the floodplain but the Mud Creek Watershed Master Plan found data to show all but these 3 were above the effective BFEs.
• The stream corridor along Mud Creek is greater than 200 feet until Olio Road then it narrows to 75 feet mixed with mowed areas of the golf courses and heavy residential. Limited vegetation and minimal setbacks along other waterways.
• No significant wetlands were identified in this watershed.
• This watershed is considered to be fully urbanized. Saxony at Exit 10 with 350 acres in Fishers (700 acre total) single/multi-family residential, Clarian Saxony Medical Campus, office buildings and retail shops. Fishers Medical Technology Corridor planned along I-69 at Exit 10. Portion of 126th Street is being improved as part of the 126th Street Reconstruction Project.
• Based on available land use data, imperviousness is estimated to be 60% which is typically indicative of poor water quality.
• Water quality monitoring conducted in 2009 at Mud Creek and SR 238 for this Master Plan indicates:
• Chemical – Nitrogen concentrations were significantly higher in April, May, and June (with highest readings in June) than all other sampling events at this site. Phosphorus concentrations were below detection limits or barely detectable for most sampling events at this location. E. coli concentrations exceeded the Indiana Water Quality Standard in 86% of the samples.
• Biological – The average PTI score for this site is 6th of 10 at 22 (Good). This site also showed the largest difference between the spring and fall individual PTI scores.
• Physical – Due to recent and ongoing construction, this site’s overall QHEI score was 44/100 or 9th lowest of 10. Channel morphology, bank erosion and riparian zone, and pool/riffle structure scored low individually, leading to the overall low score.
• Other water quality studies:
• Macroinvertebrate sampling and QHEI evaluation was completed at 1 location within the planning area during the development of the Lower Fall Creek Watershed Management Plan; Mud Creek at 116th Street QHEI score was 50 respectively, while the PTI score for this location was 19 (both Good). These evaluations are comparable to evaluations done as part of this Master Plan. An additional Lower Fall Creek sampling site is located upstream of the planning area within this watershed.
• 3 locations within the planning area were sampled during the Mud Creek Bioassessment in 2003. An additional Mud Creek Bioassessment site is located upstream of the planning area within the larger Mud Creek Watershed. Sampling indicated elevated E. coli in base flow, nutrient levels were below water quality targets, and 2 sites had QHEI scores less than 60/100 (not supporting warm water fauna) while only 1 site (Mud Creek at Olio Rd) scored a 60/100.
• No waterways in this watershed are listed on the State of Indiana 303(d) List of Impaired Streams.
• Based on available land use data for this watershed, it is anticipated that water quality in some or all water bodies is likely impacted by elevated nutrient, bacteria, total suspended solids, and metals loads.
• Dry weather screening conducted by the Town of Fishers identified 99 outfalls (observed dry weather flow at 11 outfalls).

Exhibit 2-3b
Floodplains, Drainage & Flooding Concerns

Observed drainage problem along Brooks School Road

Known Drainage Problems or Concerns

The following were drainage problems or complaints identified in the Headwaters Mud Creek Watershed by the Town of Fishers staff, recorded in the Town’s Drainage Complaint Database, or gathered during the Public Meeting. These include:

• Street Flooding (5):
  • There is ponding along the edge of N. Brook School Road south of 126th Street (A36).
  • Water ponds on the street along the south side of 106th Street just west of N. Tremont Drive (A32). (photo: field visit 5-14-09 #29 or #32 and #23 or #24).
  • Three roads are overtopped by the 1% annual chance flood on Mud Creek: 136th Street (AR25), N. Brooks School Road (AR24), and Hoosier Road (AR22).
• Building Flooding (3):
  • According to the Mud Creek Watershed Study, three residences are correctly noted to be in the floodplain of Mud Creek: near SR 238 (BR12) and near 116th Street west of Hoosier Road (BR8 & BR9).
  • According to the Mud Creek Watershed Study, several residences are erroneously indicated to be in the floodplain of Mud Creek.
• Pond Flooding (5):
  • According to the Mud Creek Watershed Study, ponds flood at Duval Drive west of Gray Eagle Drive in Bluffs at Gray Eagle neighborhood (DR2), at Duval Drive east of Brooks School Road in Cottonwood Creek at Gray Eagle neighborhood (DR3), at Edgefield Dr and Arbor Glen Boulevard in Arbor Glen neighborhood (DR4), at Sanderling Trace and Merlin Court in Audubon Trace neighborhood (DR5), and Hawthorn Rd and Great Blue Trace in The Horizon neighborhood (DR6).
• Localized Flooding (4):
  • There is poor drainage from the back yard (Tremont Drive south of 106th Street and in Tremont neighborhood) (F3).
  • In this watershed, there are several examples of recurring issues the Town has addressed. These examples are: area floods due to clogged culvert, basement floods, storm drain sites high causing flooding in yard, standing water, and tree branches in creek obstructing flow (F1, F2).
  • There is flooding on sidewalk west side of Mollenkopf Road north of the entrance to Hillsborough (F8). It appears that drainage is coming from under the fence at the north edge of Hillsborough, flows southeast through the grass, then onto the path, picking up debris from a tree along the way.