# Research Note — 2026-06-02 (Hobart Marsh / Deep River local-context refresh)

> **Status: Confirmed-context update — not a protocol change by itself**

## Confirmed facts
- The current 2025 Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Federal Partnership work plan is still organized as an annual update, and it says the NWI UWFP Ambassador position is hosted through a shared agreement with Purdue University Northwest. [^1]
- In the Hobart Marsh and Deep River section, the work plan separates **Restoring The Duck Creek Tributary in Northwest Indiana**, **Hobart Marsh Properties Managed by the Indiana DNR, Division of Nature Preserves**, and **Hobart Marsh Conservation Area NIPSCO ROW** as distinct subsections. [^1]
- The Duck Creek Tributary material describes restoration work in the Hobart Marsh and Deep River Conservation Area, so that corridor context belongs with managed-land notes, not with exposure readings. [^1]
- EPA’s current Northwest Indiana Program Contacts page still lists Victoria Wittig, Ph.D. as the Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Ambassador at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond. [^2]

## Practical interpretation
- For Hobart Marsh / Deep River routes, keep `managed_corridor_context`, `ROW_geometry`, and `source_state` separate.
- Treat the NIPSCO ROW and Duck Creek restoration work as corridor context unless a direct source is identified.
- Use the 2025 work plan as the first local-context check when planning Hobart Marsh / Deep River stops. That keeps managed-land geometry from getting mugged by the exposure bucket.

## Hypotheses
- Splitting Hobart Marsh restoration work from the NIPSCO ROW in the field log should make later comparisons cleaner than one generic “managed corridor” label.
- Keeping the current work-plan sections separate may reduce false joins between restoration activity, access limits, and actual EMF readings.

## Sources
- [^1]: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2025-05/2025-nwi-uwfp-work-plan.pdf
- [^2]: https://www.epa.gov/urbanwaterspartners/program-contacts-northwest-indiana-indiana