Urban Conservation

Rule 5

The St. Joseph County Soil and Water Conservation District review the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans in St. Joseph County.  These plans must be submitted for projects which disturb 1 acre or more of land to receive permitting through the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).  For more information on Rule 5 click on the interactive buttons below.  I you need the 14-digit Hydrologic Unit Codes for an area of construction click on the 14-digit HUC below.  If you would like a copy of what is needed in a storm water pollution prevention plan click the guidance button below. You will need to have an Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to read the file.  You can click the adobe button if you need to download the reader.

Rule 13

Rule 13 applies to communities that have been designate as Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) entities.  The criteria for the MS4 entities and a listing of initial entities can be viewed by clicking on the button below.  Rule 13 requires the development of a Storm Water Quality Management Plan (SWQMP):

• Part A - Initial Application                                                                                           Notice of Intent Letter and Permit Applications must be sent into IDEM for approval.  This is where an MS4 area is defined , meaning which entities make up the MS4 area, who is the MS4 operator, what agreements the entities have and how the MS4 is going to implement the SWQMP.
• Part B - Baseline Characterization and Report                                                             The MS4 operator will characterize the water quality of all water that receives storm water discharges.  The characterization must use existing and new information that best describes the chemical, biological, and physical condition of the MS4 area water quality.  After the data is collected the MS4 operator must determine which areas are in need of additional water quality measures.
• Part C - Program Implementation                                                                                This part needs to include a timetable of how and when the baseline characterization and report are to be done and how and when the 6 minimum control measures will be completed.                                                                                                                The six Minimum Control Measures (MCM) are:                                                         1)  Public Education and Outreach                                                                                2)  Public Involvement and Participation                                                                     3)  Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination                                                                4)  Construction Site Run-off Control                                                                           5)  Post construction Site Run-off Control                                                                     6)  Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping

Many of the local MS4 entities are working together on MCM 1 and 2.  The MS4 entities are also in the process of developing ordinances that will be put in place to cover MCM 4 and 5.  Keep visiting our website to find out when these ordinances take affect and to see how it will affect submitting you storm water pollution prevention plans.

The City of South Bend is going to be taking over the review and inspection of storm water pollution prevention plans for construction sites starting September 1, 2006.  

St. Joseph County is looking to take over the review and inspection of storm water pollution prevention plans for construction sites starting in January 1, 2007.

The City of Mishawaka is looking to take over the review and inspection of storm water pollution prevention plans for construction sites starting later this Fall. 

Please visit the MS4 link below to see where the storm water pollution plans need to be submitted and who the contacts are for each entity.    The Contact for  Rule 5 will still be the St. Joseph County SWCD.  If you have any questions please give us a call at (574) 291-7444 ext. 3.

Homeowner Tidbits

• Purdue Extension has a water quality information line on the Web at this address:         Http://www.purdue.edu/waterquality
• Leaving remnants of your garden plants over winter can help your garden.  By leaving the stalks and stems you create small microhabitats for beneficial insects which help pollinate and protect your garden.  Then they will be there from the beginning next year!
• Have you car winterized, so it is running as efficiently as possible.  this cuts down on burning excess fuel, which is better for the environment and your pocketbook!!!