Description

The St. Joseph River Watershed, located in northeast Indiana, northwest Ohio, and south central Michigan, is an 8-digit (04100003) hydrologic unit code (HUC) watershed encompassing 694,400 acres.
With its headwaters in Hillsdale County, Michigan, the St. Joseph River flows in a southwestern direction, before converging with the St. Mary’s River in Fort Wayne, Indiana to form the Maumee River. Both Noble County and Steuben County contribute water to the St. Joseph River, through Cedar Creek and Fish Creek tributaries. The St. Joseph is a wide and relatively slow-flowing stream with an average bottom slope of 1.6 feet per mile, following the Fort Wayne moraine.

Quick Facts

- Watershed Area - 611 square miles
- Empties To - Maumee River in Allen County, Indiana.
- Land Use - 64% cropland, 15% pasture
- Largest Cities - Butler, Waterloo, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Montpelier, Ohio.
- Watershed Population - ?
- Watershed Counties - Michigan - Hillsdale. Indiana - Steuben, Noble, DeKalb, and Allen. Ohio - Williams and Defiance.

Getting Local

The St. Joseph River Watershed Initiative Partnership (SJRWI), founded in 1996, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is made up of local citizens, organizations, businesses, and agencies from across the region, working together to take a proactive approach to water quality problems by promoting land use practices that are both economically and environmentally compatible. The SJRWI’s Board of Directors consists of members from across Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.

Click the logo below to visit the SJRWI online

Map

Studies & Reports

St. Joseph's Watershed Assessment
Historical Assessment of Streamflow and Water Quality Activities
WLEB Stakeholder Grants - Rd 1 - Final Report - St Joseph