MS4 - Stormwater Division

             Report a Water Quality Concern

City of La Porte, MS4 Coordinator

call (219) 362-2354 or email dhunsberger@CityofLaPorteIN.Gov

Public Notice

The City of La Porte, 801 Michigan Avenue, La Porte IN, 46350 intends to discharge stormwater into the Travis Ditch 071200010403 and Kingsbury Creek 071200010402 and is submitting a Notice of Intent to notify the Indiana Department of Environmental Management of the MS4’s intent to comply with the requirements of the MS4 General Permit to discharge stormwater run-off. Contact the MS4 Coordinator at (219) 362-2354 or DHunsberger@CityofLaPorteIN.gov for questions.

MS4 GENERAL PERMIT
The City of La Porte's NPDES General Permit requires a plan to reduce or eliminate pollution that storm water that might transport through the storm drain network. The plan is called a Storm Water Quality Management Plan (SWQMP).  You can see the SWQMP here.

Municipal Separated Storm Sewer System (MS4)

An MS4 is a public network of structures that convey stormwater run-off, usually to a stream, ditch or lake. They are a permitted stormwater drainage system. This collection of inlets and pipes help prevent flooding by directing rain water away from paved areas and into nearby waterbodies. Unlike a sanitary sewer system that treats sewage water before discharging it, a storm drain system simply conveys the water without treatment.
ONLY RAIN DOWN THE STORM DRAIN!

The EPA delegated authority to the State of Indiana's Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), Office of Water Quality, to issue water quality permits. Not every business or activity requires a permit. The EPA and IDEM only require permits for activities that have potential to cause pollution or exceed water quality standards.  Examples include: construction projects that disturb over 1-acre, industrial facilities, sewage treatment plants, etc.

HISTORY OF STORMWATER
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act was first enacted in 1948. Although not an effective bill, it was the first major legislation in the U.S. to address water pollution. Events such as the Cuyahoga River fires in Ohio, a river so full of pollution that it caught fire 13 times between 1968 and 1969, made it clear that something needed to be done to protect streams, lakes, rivers, and the ocean. In 1972, significant amendments were added to the act leading to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Clean Water Act.

The Clean Water Act gives the EPA authority to set water quality standards and establish pollution control programs. The act also mandates a permit is needed to discharge any pollutants to U.S. waters. This permit is called a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The permit allows a permittee to discharge to a waterbody, requiring that permittee to have procedures/practices in place that reduce or eliminate pollution.

The Clean Water Act originally focused on industrial facilities and sewage treatment facilities. It now applies to everyone including individuals, businesses, construction projects and storm drain systems.