Tag Archives: Stormwater

Elkhart County Pay Dirt 2024

Where cultivation and construction meet.

Tuesday, March 5th 2024 at 6 PM – 8 PM

Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds 17746 CR 34 Goshen, IN 46528

The evening of Tuesday, March 5th the City will hold its annual Flood Resilience Public Meeting. This event is free and part of the paydirt conference. The public meeting will be an opportunity for city and county residents to hear details of Goshen’s Flood Resilience Plan, the impacts of flooding in the City, efforts to both adapt to and mitigate flooding, and to interact with experts and displays.

The second event will be a complimentary municipal breakfast that will provide required training on good housekeeping and pollution prevention to municipal employees. 

Municipal Breakfast

Thursday, March 7th 2024

8:00 AM – 11:00 AM

The City of Goshen is one of four municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) communities in Elkhart County and together we are the Greater Elkhart County Stormwater Partnership. The MS4 communities are the City of Elkhart, the City of Goshen, Elkhart County, and the Town of Bristol. 

The Elkhart County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has been a supporting partner of the Greater Elkhart County Stormwater Partnership since the Partnership was formed in May of 2005. The SWCD is an integral partner in implementing public education, outreach, and involvement, as well as reviewing stormwater pollution prevention plans and conducting construction site inspections. 

The city of Goshen supports the Conference as part of the Greater Elkhart County Stormwater Partnership.

Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley, Goshen’s Environmental Resilience Department head is one of the speakers in the Urban Conservation Path breakout session on Wednesday, March 6 and the city’s Stormwater Department will be there to help moderate sessions as needed. 

Breakout Session

PDH Credits pending ACEC approval

Design Path

  1. Rob Beck, IN Department of Environmental Management
  2. Donovan Wilczynski, Keramida Inc.
  3. Kate Barret, St, Joseph River Basin Commission

Contractor Path

  1. Chad Montgomery, IN Ready Mix Concrete Association
  2. Joe Moore, Erosion Construction Services
  3. Rob Beck, IN Dept. of Environmental Management

Urban Conservation Path

  1. Jenna Wait, Soil & Water Conservation District
  2. Krystofer Yacks, Aquascapes of Michiana
  3. Aaron Kingsley, Goshen Department of Environmental Resilience

Learn more about the Pay Dirt conference and events here: https://www.elkcoswcd.org/pay-dirt/

December Stormwater Newsletter

Read the newsletter by clicking the following link: https://bit.ly/SWNewsDec2023.

The goal of the Goshen Stormwater Department is clean water for everyone and everything. One way this is achieved is through public education and the Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter is one of many ways this is accomplished. 

This month’s newsletter highlights:

  1. To comply with Indiana Department of Environmental Management stormwater regulations all City employees are to be trained on how to prevent stormwater pollution. A Stormwater Employee Handbook is now available for employees to reference. Check it out here.
  2. Salt is used in the wintertime to prevent and remove ice but it can have a big impact on the environment. Find helpful tips on how to reduce the impact salt has by clicking here.  
  3. The 2024-2025 Elkhart County Waterways Calendar has been released and more information can be found by clicking here. We hope you enjoy your free copy, which can be picked up at City offices and the Goshen Public Library.

If you have concerns about stormwater drainage or water quality issues or have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the Goshen Stormwater Department at stormwater@goshencity.com or 574-534-2201.

November Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter

Read the newsletter by clicking the following link: bit.ly/SWNewsNov2023.

The goal of the Goshen Stormwater Department is clean water for everyone and everything. One way this is achieved is through public education and the Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter is one of many ways this is accomplished. 

In this month’s newsletter, a message of thanks is shared for the help the community gives to keep our local waterways clean. In addition, there are three articles:

  1. November 16 is National Stormwater Day – The National Municipal Stormwater Alliance declared November 16 to be National Stormwater Day as November 16, 1990, is when the Federal Register included notice of the promulgation of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase I MSP program marking this a major day in the stormwater community.
  2. The series on the origin of words used to describe waterways draws to a close this month with a focus on the word used to describe the smell in the air after a summer thunderstorm: Petrichor.  
  3. Holiday F.O.G. Warning – F.O.G. stands for fats, oils, and grease and if these are dumped down a drain it can harm the health of our sewers and local waterways. Find out the proper ways to handle F.OG.s during the holiday season and year-round.

If you have concerns about stormwater drainage or water quality issues or have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the Goshen Stormwater Department at stormwater@goshencity.com or 574-534-2201.

2023 Leaf collection is underway

The 2023 Fall Season leaf collection began in October 2023.  There is no set schedule for leaf collection.  The crews follow a route through the City and keep rotating through the route until all the leaves are picked up. The leaf collection season usually ends in mid-December.

With those beautiful leaves falling all around us , we want to make sure our community stays vibrant and water-drainage friendly. So, we’re kindly requesting your help to keep our storm drains leaf-free and our streets puddle-free!

Here’s how you can join in and make our neighborhoods shine even brighter:

  • Clear those storm drains near your home or business, allowing rainwater to flow freely and reducing ponding.
  • Skip the Curb Piles: Please avoid piling up leaves along the curb, which can lead to drainage issues. Let’s keep our streets leaf-free!
  • Spread the Word: Share this post with neighbors and business owners to spread the word about this leafy mission.

For more details on leaf collection visit: https://goshenindiana.org/street-department

Happy New Water Year

Read the newsletter by clicking the following link: bit.ly/SWNews_Oct2023.

The goal of the Goshen Stormwater Department is clean water for everyone and everything. One way this is achieved is through public education and the Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter is one of many ways this is accomplished. 

In this month’s newsletter, there are three articles:

  1. Happy New Water Year – Find out what the “water year” is and why it is important to understand how much water falls from the sky from place to place and during different seasons of the year. Additionally, find out how you can help monitor rainfall by becoming a volunteer with CoCoRaHS. 
  2. Find out the origins of the word “hydrology” in the next installment of the “Why are there so many words for waterways?” series. 
  3. The Value of Water has been calculated at $58 Trillion by the World Wildlife Foundation! Water has immense value but we continue to have “water blindness” to this important resource. Find out more.

If you have concerns about stormwater drainage or water quality issues or have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the Goshen Stormwater Department at stormwater@goshencity.com or 574-534-2201.

September Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter

Read the newsletter by clicking the following link: bit.ly/SWNewsSeptember2023. 

The goal of the Goshen Stormwater Department is clean water for everyone and everything. One way this is achieved is through public education and the Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter is one of many ways this is accomplished. 

In this month’s newsletter, there are three articles:

  1. Stormwater Treatment Units – Stormwater treatment units or STUs help to minimize the impacts of stormwater pollutants on our local waterways by capturing pollutants. Read more about how these STUs are maintained and how much material was captured over the past year.
  1. Find out the origins of the words “waterway and watercourse” in the next installment of the “Why are there so many words for waterways?” series. 
  1. World Rivers Day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of September and highlights the many values of our rivers and the threats they face.

If you have concerns about stormwater drainage or water quality issues or have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the Goshen Stormwater Department at stormwater@goshencity.com or 574-534-2201.

August Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter

Read the newsletter by clicking the following link: https://bit.ly/SWNewsAugust2023.

The goal of the Goshen Stormwater Department is clean water for everyone and everything. One way this is achieved is through public education and the Stormwater Toolbox Newsletter is one of many ways this is accomplished.

In this month’s newsletter, there are three articles:

  1. Updating SOPs – The City is required to update standard operating procedures (SOPs) to comply with the City’s MS4 General Permit and is working with Wessler Engineering to accomplish this.
  2. Pollywogging is a method of searching for freshwater mussels and as another National Water Quality Month comes to a close the importance of freshwater mussels to water quality is highlighted.
  3. Find out the origins of the word “Stream” in the next installment of “Why are there so many words for waterways?”.

If you have concerns about stormwater drainage or water quality issues or have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact the Goshen Stormwater Department at stormwater@goshencity.com or 574-534-2201.

OCTOBER STORMWATER TOOLBOX NEWSLETTER

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Happy New Water Year! Yes, the actual New Year is just under three months away, but for water enthusiasts October 1st is the beginning of the new water year. Find out more about the water year and how much rain and snow fell from the sky during the 2016 water year in this month’s Newsletter.

Additionally, find out how trees act as umbrellas and help reduce stormwater impacts in urban areas. You can also find out the benefits provided by Goshen’s  trees, including the one in your front yard. Currently the sugar maple in front of City Hall has a total yearly benefit of $159.98.

Click here to view the full newsletter.

CALLING ALL ARTISTS!

 

This summer the City of Goshen is looking for artists who are interested in transforming a city storm drain into a public work of art in downtown Goshen.

The focus is to raise public awareness that storm drains need to be protected from pollutants that damage the waters that they flow into and to have some fun in the process. The selected storm drains will be in prominent areas in downtown Goshen.

All submissions are due by April 29.

To learn more, go to http://goshenindiana.org/media/uploads/0/1570_Stom-Drain-Request-for-Artists-5April2016.pdf

Stom Drain Request for Artists 5April2016_Page_1