Wellhead Protection Information

* For more information, click on the  located throughout the page.

Goshen's Wellhead Protection Program

The Goshen Water Department has a Wellhead Protection Program meeting the Federal requirements of Section 1428 of the Safe Drinking Water Act and the requirements established in the State of Indiana Codes 13-18-17-6 and 13-7-26-7. The purpose of these laws is to help protect public water supplies from contamination.

Water Supply System

The City of Goshen owns and operates a Public Water Supply (PWS) system within Elkhart, Indiana having a designation number of IN5220009. The City supplies water to approximately 10,280 service connections and a population of 32,267 (per 2015 estimates).  The Water Utility’s average production is 3.5 million gallons per day, with a maximum production capacity of about 10 million gallons per day. 

The Goshen Water Department obtains water from wells located in two well fields, commonly referred to as North and Kercher.  North Well Field has 6 wells and pumps, on average, 1.7 million gallons per day.  The Kercher Well Field has 3 wells with an average daily pumping of 1.8 million gallons.  The Kercher Well Field has a 750 kW stand-by generator capable of operating the entire well field to its full capacity of 5.1 million gallons per day. The North Well Field is scheduled to have a backup generator installed in 2016.

The North Well Field and Kercher Well Field treatment plants pump into a common distribution system with one 0.5 million gallon elevated storage tank (Clinton Tower), one 1.5 million gallon elevated storage tank (Sherck Tower) and one 0.5 million gallon ground storage tank that supports an independent pressure zone serving the upper elevation of the north and east portions of the City. Local Planning Team

In January 1999, the Goshen Water Department formed a local planning team to assist it in the development and implementation of its Wellhead Protection Program.  The team has met off and on over the years to map out water system goals.  Over the past couple of years, the team has been inactive.  A new local planning team will be assembled to provide guidance on the Phase III Wellhead Protection Plan.  If you are interested in helping to provide guidance on how to protect the water utility over the next 5 years, please contact Kent Holdren, Water Superintendent, at 574-534-5306. 

Wellhead Protection Areas

The State of Indiana defines a wellhead protection area (WHPA) as the surface and subsurface area, which contributes water to a community public water supply system (CPWSS) well or well field and through which contaminates are likely to move through and reach the well within a five year time-of-travel. As part of the Phase I Wellhead Protection Plan, the Goshen Water Department retained the services of Peerless-Midwest, Inc. to delineate its well field’s supply source by identifying the one and five year time-of-travel areas. 

In 2012, IDEM evaluated the changes to the City’s well fields and determined new wellhead delineations were unnecessary for Phase II. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has approved the delineations for both the North and Kercher Wellhead Protection areas. 

Management Measures

As new development or redevelopment occurs within the City, Goshen Engineering reviews the proposed improvement and evaluates the potential impacts to the groundwater system.  Property owners and developers are given guidance about what activities are and are not suitable over the wellhead protection areas.

The City of Goshen works in cooperation with the Elkhart County Health Department, that protects the County’s groundwater by administering the County’s Groundwater Protection Ordinance, renewed in 2014. 

Wellhead Protection Program - Phase II  5 Year Update

 Wellhead Protection Plan 5 Year Update

Wellhead Protection Program - Phase II

 Cover and Table of Contents
 Exhibit A

 Exhibit B

  Exhibit C

  Exhibit D

 Exhibit E

 Exhibit F

 Exhibit G

 Exhibit H

 Exhibit I 

 Exhibit J

 Idem Approval Letter For Wellhead Protection Update 2017

 Wellhead Protection Plan Phase II 5 Year Update 2017

 Map Findings Update 2017