Educational Resources

The City of Goshen strives to improve water quality within the community. City staff is regularly trained about stormwater pollutants and how they can improve water quality by applying best management practices in municipal operations. City staff can only do so much on their own. To truly minimize our community’s impact on stormwater, City residents and businesses within the City must work together to protect our water resources.

Brochures and Fact Sheets

Household Hazardous Waste and Medication Disposal

My RainReady Tool (online tool)

Rain Barrel and Rain Garden Incentive Program

Storm Drain Art Project

Stormwater Partnership Calendar

Stormwater News Archive

Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter

Stormwater Videos

Water Footprint Calculator

Hydrologic Units of Indiana

Brochures and Fact Sheets

Everyday activities in a community with 32,000 residents provide opportunities for stormwater education.  The Goshen Stormwater Department frequently receives calls and e-mails about people placing their grass clippings in the curb line, construction projects tracking soil into the street, and concerns about vehicles leaking oils and other fluids.  Stormwater staff responds to these complaints and in most cases provides education to help minimize the stormwater impact.  Educational resources used in these one-on-one site visits are:

• Citizen’s Guide to Pollution Prevention – “Only Rain Down the Drain”
• Concrete Washout
• Detecting Pollutant Releases – “Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination”
• Fats, Oils, & Grease (F.O.G.) Disposal (Spanish)
• Grass & Leaves – “Managing Yard Waste”
• Grass Clippings – “Grass Clippings & Leaf Litter are Stormwater Pollutants”
• Leaking Autos – “I Think We’ve Sprung a Leak!”
• Plastic Concerns in Goshen Waterways - A Fact Sheet 
• Swimming Pools – “Pool Construction & Maintenance”

Household Hazardous Waste and Medication Disposal

Leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, or reactive ingredients are considered to be "household hazardous waste" (HHW). HHW includes products such as oil-based paints, cleaners, oils, Ni-Cad/Lithium batteries, unused or expired medications, pesticides, or other items that contain potentially hazardous ingredients. These products are safe to use when you follow the manufacturer's instructions, but they require special handling when you are ready to dispose of them. If disposed of improperly, these wastes can pollute the environment and they can pose a threat to human health. HHW should not be poured down the drain, on the ground, or into storm sewers.

For more information on how to properly dispose of HHW and unused, unwanted, or expired medications click here.

My RainReady Tool (online tool)

My RainReady is a free, online tool that helps homeowners get ready for rain in a time of climate change. Developed by the Center for Neighborhood Technology, My RainReady offers step-by-step guidance to help evaluate the flooding risks of your home, and find the best means of reducing the risk of flood damage. After answering a series of guided questions, My RainReady will provide a customized report that suggests a mix of home maintenance and DIY improvements, landscaping and construction options, and flood preparedness actions. My RainReady does not collect or share any information about you or your building.

Rain Barrel and Rain Garden Incentive Program

Rain barrels and rain gardens are important stormwater training tools that allow residents to reuse stormwater to water their plants and reduce stormwater runoff into the community’s sanitary and storm sewers. To encourage the installation of rain barrels and rain gardens, the Greater Elkhart County Stormwater Partnership offers an incentive program where eligible homeowners can receive up to $250 towards the planting of native rain garden plants and/or $50 towards the construction of a rain barrel (maximum of two rain barrels per property). To be eligible to receive the reimbursement, participants must live in the Cities of Elkhart or Goshen, the Town of Bristol, or the unincorporated areas of Elkhart County and must attend a short evening class hosted by the Elkhart County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). To obtain more information about this program, rain gardens, and rain barrels click on the appropriate link.

Storm Drain Art Project 

Storm drains play an important role in our city. They keep roads safe by draining rainwater and snowmelt and preventing urban flooding. However, most storm drains are connected directly to a waterway and this means anything dropped on the road can pollute our rivers and streams.

Ordinary things, including soil, trash, oil, grass clippings, chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides), and animal waste (e.g. dog poop) impair the water and make it difficult for fish and other aquatic wildlife to live or even breathe. Some pollutants, such as animal waste and oil can be a health hazard to people as well.

Thus, the City of Goshen has decided to draw attention to the importance of storm drains by having local artists paint murals around them. In 2016 local artists painted eight (8) storm drain art murals along a 1.2 mile stretch of downtown streets. Drain art projects were also implemented in 2019 and 2022, with local artists once again contributing to this popular public art project. For more information on the storm drain art murals, click here.

Stormwater Partnership Calendar

The Stormwater Partnership develops and publishes bi-annual stormwater calendars containing educational information on many different themes like watersheds, trees and stormwater, agricultural best management practices, pollinators, and much more. These calendars are distributed freely throughout the community. The Stormwater Partnership is happy to announce that the 2024-2025 Calendar is now available free to the public at City offices and the Goshen Public Library. The theme this year is "Elkhart County Waterways" and focuses on the waterways that flow through Elkhart County ending with Lake Michigan where most of Elkhart County drains. Information on each waterway can be found at www.elkcoswcd.org/elkhart-county-waterways/. 

   

Stormwater News Archive

For information on past stormwater news articles, check out the Stormwater News Archive.

Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter

If you are interested in learning more about stormwater and topics of concern make sure to check out the monthly Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter. The Stormwater Department is always interested in suggestions on topics or issues you might like to know more about and you can email Jason Kauffman with suggestions.

Stormwater Videos

The Greater Elkhart County Stormwater Partnership has joined with several other MS4 Communities throughout the State of Indiana to create a series of stormwater education videos. Click here to see the following videos:

• Blue is the new Green
• MS4 for Elected Officials: Why is Stormwater Quality Important for Your Community?
• Proper Concrete Washout Procedures for Contractors
• Proper Refueling - Keeping our Waterways Clean
• Stormwater Pond Maintenance for Homeowners
• Stormwater Quality: Inspection

Training Videos for Employees

• Illicit Discharge and Storm Sewers  - English
• Illicit Discharge and Storm Sewers - Spanish

Water Footprint Calculator

If you have ever wondered how much water you use daily the Water Footprint Calculator (English or Spanish) will help you estimate your total water usage both at home and virtually (e.g. in your food, the miles you drive in your car, etc.). The water out of the tap/faucet is just a tiny fraction of the water we use each day. "We have to think beyond just what's coming out of our tap and think of water as a kind of universal resource" - Peter Hanlon of the Grace Communications Foundation