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MS4 – Town
of Porter, IDEM Permit #INR040115
What you do,
matters!!! Overseen
by the Porter Stormwater Board What
is an MS4? An MS4 is
a designation that stands for the entity that oversees the “municipal
separate storm sewer system.” It is
the drainage system owned by the Town intended to carry only surface runoff,
rainwater to a receiving stream. In
Porters case, the ultimate receiving stream is lake Michigan. Porter, as well as other local and regional
municipalities, is mandated to put together a MS4 program that administers
the requirements to IDEM. IDEM, the
Indiana Department of Environmental Management, is directed in Indiana by the
EPA to oversee the MS4 program. What
is a Watershed and do I live in one? First off,
everyone lives in a
watershed. A watershed is not a
wetland, or floodplain, or any other term that identifies an environmental
feature. Simply put, a watershed is a
geographic area that looks at the area by ground elevation and determines the
waters flow characteristics. There are
millions of watersheds, as each section of rivers and streams have different
geographic areas draining to them. Please
watch the following video for more information. Watershed
Video The Town of
Porter is in the Lake Michigan watershed.
Depending on where you live, you may be in the Little Calumet River
watershed, or Munson Ditch watershed.
As you can see, each watershed can be further broken down, but for
convenience, the Lake Michigan watershed is our main focus.
Why
does the Town charge a Stormwater (MS4) fee, I don’t have stormwater? Due to the
unfunded mandate for the Town to oversee the MS4, the Town must determine how
to pay the service that is required.
The stormwater (MS4) fee that is assessed to every lot of record in
the Town of Porter goes to the Stormwater Board to manage the MS4 permit
requirements, as well as determine the projects the can help with the
stormwater drainage of the Town. The
fees are assessed on your normal trash and sewer bill. Every lot and parcel, developed or
undeveloped is to be charged the fee. Pollution
Control Efforts What is Storm Water
Pollution? Our
rainwater travels through gutters, storm drains, channels, ditches and
eventually into Lake Michigan, our main drinking water resource.
The
largest source of storm water pollution in Indiana results from everyday
activities. The most common pollutants are: Trash and
rubbish (fast-food wrappers, plastic grocery bags, plastic beverage bottles,
cigarette butts, Styrofoam cups, grass clippings, dirt, sand, rock, etc.) Toxins
(used motor oil, antifreeze, fertilizer, pesticides, sewage overflow, pet
droppings, etc.) These
pollutants are picked up as water (from rain, hoses, sprinklers, etc.) drains
from streets, parking lots, and lawns and enters the many catch basins
throughout the Town of Porter. From there, the untreated water flows through
a extensive system of pipes, ditches and rivers and eventually to Lake
Michigan. Basically,
anything dumped or dropped on the ground or in the gutter contributes to
storm water pollution. Is
Storm Water Treated Before Entering Lake Michigan? Is
There a Difference Between a Storm Sewer and a Sanitary Sewer? The
sanitary system takes all household wastewater from toilets, showers and
sinks, and routes it through your plumbing system into the wastewater
collection system where it is transported to the Chesterton Waste Water
Treatment Plant. Once there, it is treated before being discharged into the
Little Calumet River. The storm
water system, on the other hand, was intended to route rainwater quickly off
the streets during a heavy storm, but unfortunately takes all urban runoff
along with it. Chemicals, trash and debris from lawns, parking lots and
streets, either intentionally or accidentally spilled, goes straight into the
rivers. The
Problem
Soiled
diapers, shopping carts, yard waste, antifreeze, cleaning solvents, soapy
water, and used oil containers are just some of the many items tossed into
open channels. When it rains, water runoff will carry these items through the
storm system and eventually make its way into the Lake. What
are the Effects of Storm Water Pollution?
ENVIRONMENT:
Countless marine plants and animals living in our rivers and lake may become
sick or die from contact with storm water pollution.
NEIGHBORHOODS:
Clogged catch basins significantly decrease the quality of life in many neighborhoods
throughout the Town of Porter. These "nests" of trash and debris
can attract rats and cockroaches, create foul odors, and clog the storm drain
system affecting neighborhood aesthetics and property values, and may cause
local flooding. What
can I do? Fertilizer,
dog waste, and illegal dumping of any waste material has a direct effect on
water quality. Dumping waste oil down
any sewer, storm or sanitary will immediately pollute the area it flows
to. Nothing should be put down the
drain except clean water. These pipes
lead to our streams, and storm sewer water is NOT treated. This runoff will go straight to the river
and into Lake Michigan. The
industries along the lake front are overseen by IDEM and they have strict
regulations to what they are allowed to put in the water. Residents are overseen by the MS4 and we
have to watch what is put into the waters.
Remember, What you do,
matters!!! The water
that you either pump from the ground from a well, or pay the water company
comes from this runoff. It is absorbed
by the ground for your consumption or into Lake Michigan and is
consumed. Next time the beaches are
closed down, ask yourself, what could I have done to help? Important
Links NIRPC, Northwest Indiana Regional
Planning Commission, has a great website to show more of what you can do and
what they are doing. Check out their
website at:
IDEM’s website contains additional
information and the following link shows the States information for
residents:
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Porter’s
IDEM Permit:
Adobe Required for viewing. Purdue Watershed Resource:
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