Population and Acreage in the
Indiana Portion of the St. Joseph River Basin

    A river basin is comprised of a number of sub-watersheds.  The boundaries of watersheds are determined by the slope of the land surface, and the general fall ("gradient") of the drainage-way, whether it be a river, creek or stream, or drainage ditch.  Glacial activity in the region influenced where the boundaries lie and how the natural drainage-ways will flow.

    The Indiana portion of the St. Joseph River Basin consists of all or portions of seven counties:  DeKalb, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, St. Joseph and Steuben. 

    The chart below pictures the percentage of the River Basin contributed by each county.

INDIANA COUNTY	ACRES IN THE RIVER BASIN	POPULATION (Total County--2012 Census Estimates)
DeKalb	5,888	42,321
Elkhart	280,695	199,619
Kosciusko	71,277	77,609
LaGrange	242,393	37,521
Noble	192,108	47,582
St. Joseph	145,322	266,344
Steuben	149,905	34,124

    The estimated 2012 total population for the Indiana counties within the St. Joseph River Basin is greater than 700,000, swelling to over 1 million when people come from all over the world to
fish, swim, kayak, canoe, and take advantage of other water sports in our rivers, our numerous lakes and streams and private ponds.
 

St. Joseph River Basin Commission
227 W. Jefferson Blvd.--#1120
South Bend, Indiana   46601-1830
PHONE:  574-287-1829   FAX:  574-287-1840