Soil & Water Conservation

The Tippecanoe County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is a legal subdivision of state government, the only local unit of government responsible for coordinating the conservation of our soil, water, and related natural resources.
The Tippecanoe District was organized through a public referendum held in 1940 in accordance with the Indiana Soil Conservation Act, now amended. At its origin, only 5 townships were served by and included in the district. Over the course of time, the district has come to serve all of Tippecanoe County, including the once excluded cities of Lafayette and West Lafayette, as well as the smaller towns.
Vegetation Growth Next to Water
Purpose
The purpose of a Soil and Water Conservation District is to:
  • Connect land users to educational, technical and financial assistance from local organizations and state and federal agencies.
  • Identify and prioritize local soil and water resource concerns.
  • Implement conservation practices and technologies.
  • Provide information about soil, water and related natural resource conservation.
Citizen Involvement
Because each Conservation District develops its own programs to suit the needs of the people in its county, local citizens play an important role, and each district serves as a means for all interested people in a county to work together for natural resource conservation and development.

The official governing body of a Conservation District consists of 5 supervisors - 3 are elected at the local Annual Meeting of land occupiers and 2 are appointed by the State Soil Conservation Board based upon recommendations of the leadership in the district. Selection of all 5 supervisors is based on input from the local people they serve, and as public officials responsible to the district and state, supervisors are required to subscribe to a standard public oath of office.

Mission Statement
The Tippecanoe County Soil and Water Conservation District is committed to provide quality technical, educational, and informational resources for the community through leadership, service, and citizen involvement to foster natural resource conservation and environmental stewardship.