Friday, March 17, 2023
Wilden Avenue will be closed to thru traffic between Rock Run Creek and Main Street / State Road 15 starting this Monday, March 20, until September for road construction. Traffic will be detoured on Indiana Avenue/CR 21 to CR 26 to Main Street/State Road 15.The project involves rebuilding and improving... more
Monday, March 13, 2023
The City of Goshen will close South 8th Street between East Plymouth Avenue and East Jackson Street from Tuesday morning, March 14, to Thursday afternoon, March 16, to allow the Water & Sewer Department to replace a sewer lateral. more
Monday, March 13, 2023
The City of Goshen Fire Department will test the city’s tornado sirens Tuesday, March 14 between 10 and 10:30 a.m. as part of an annual statewide test of communications systems. While the drill will be sent using live TOR EAS coding (Tornado Warning), it is only a test, and will be postponed... more
Today, 2:00pm
To join the webinar please copy and paste this link on your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82986722338 or call 309-205-3325. Webinar ID: 829 8672 2338. Comments are no longer taken online.
Today, 7:00pm
This meeting is in-person only.
Tuesday, March 28, 2023, 4:00pm
To view the webinar, please copy and paste this link on your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89051557762 Or call: (301) 715-8592 or 312 626 6799 Webinar ID: 890 5155 7762
The requirements the Goshen stormwater program is founded on, began in 1948 with the enactment of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act. This act was amended in 1972, and today is commonly referred to as the Clean Water Act (CWA). There have been subsequent amendments since, but the core of the program remains focused on improving water quality by preventing the release of contaminates to waterways. For more information on the Clean Water Act, click here.
Currently, the City of Goshen's Stormwater Ordinances reference and reflect Indiana stormwater regulations established by 327 IAC 15 – 13 known as Rule 13. In December of 2021, Rule 13 was repealed and replaced with regulation by permit called the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer General Permit (MS4GP). The Stormwater Department is currently working with stakeholders to evaluate and update our Ordinances to reflect this regulatory change.
As part of the Clean Water Act, but administered by individual States, cities and urbanized areas meeting certain population thresholds are required to obtain a permit to discharge their stormwater runoff to Waters of the United States. As required by law, the City of Goshen holds a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System General Permit (MS4GP) administered by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).
A Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems, also known as an MS4., is defined by IDEM as “a conveyance or a system of conveyances owned by a state, city, town, or other public entity that discharges to waters of the United States and is designed or used for collecting or conveying storm water.” A stormwater conveyance has a broad definition and is not always just a system of underground pipes; a conveyance can include roads with drainage systems, gutters, and ditches.
To maintain permit coverage and continue discharging stormwater runoff to the Elkhart River, Rock Run Creek, and other waterways, the City of Goshen must meet the requirements of our permit organized into six (6) "Minimum Control Measures." The Stormwater Department ensures the City manages our potential water pollutants by implementing the following minimum control measures:
Develop and initiate public education programs addressing the impacts of stormwater leaving our community. The Elkhart County Soil and Water Conservation District assists with this program requirement on behalf of all MS4 Communities within Elkhart County.
Getting residents and property owners involved in activities that promote clean-water practices. The Elkhart County Soil and Water Conservation District assists with this program requirement on behalf of all MS4 Communities within Elkhart County.
Seeking out and eliminating sources of water pollution. The City of Goshen performs this task in-house. The streams and ditches within the corporate boundary of the City of Goshen have been walked and boated to identify each pipe and ditch outfall that represents a point source discharge. These discharge points have been photographed, GPS located, and cataloged. Discharge of water from these structures have been sampled 36-hours following a rain event and screened for color, smell, temperature, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and E. coli. Discharge points with pollutants are sampled more frequently and the source of the pollutants are traced back to the source for corrective measures. Click the picture below to see a video describing what an illicit discharge is and why prevention is important.
Ensuring that all construction sites are operated and maintained in such a way as to reduce or eliminate pollution leaving their sites. The Elkhart County Soil and Water Conservation District fulfills this program requirement on behalf of the MS4 Communities within Elkhart County.
Developing requirements of new development that promote clean water even after the construction is over. The City of Goshen Stormwater Department manages the post-construction program. As new developments are constructed, stormwater management plans are developed for the properties to follow. On a five (5) year cycle, the Goshen Stormwater Department checks in with each plan holder to verify they are following their stormwater plan and to make sure the original stormwater assets are still functioning as intended.
Cities are responsible for conducting their operations and maintaining their facilities in a manner that does not introduce additional pollution into the stormwater system and waterways. The City of Goshen’s staff is regularly trained on best management practices to minimize stormwater pollution. With the update of the City’s street department facility and central garage, special site features have been added to eliminate or capture pollutants associated with heavy equipment and vehicle maintenance.
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