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7) Stormwater - General

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1. When do I need to hire an engineer or surveyor to complete a site plan?

A detailed site plan must be completed by a licensed engineer or licensed surveyor whenever a project will create a total impervious area of 5,000 square feet or more, or a paved area of 3,500 square feet or more, or involves a multiple unit residential, commercial, or industrial site These plans must be approved by the city engineer’s office before any work may begin.

2. When do I need to submit a site plan?

A site plan may be required with every building permit. The City of Valparaiso will check the plan to ensure that construction activities will not impose upon existing easements or inconvenience adjacent properties. This will help prevent problems such as a tool shed constructed in a drainage easement that must be moved.

3. Why are natural habitats important?

Natural habitats allow for plant and animal life that naturally removes pollutants from the environment. This protects and preserves aquatic environments that are needed for drainage and recreational activities such as fishing or canoeing. They also allow stormwater to soak into the ground where it replenishes ground water tables. Low groundwater tables are responsible for streams and lakes drying up as well as problems for residents that rely on well water. Ultimately, every resident of Valparaiso relies on well water because the Valparaiso City Utilities extracts its water from wells.

4. Where should I wash my car and why?

Automobiles should, ideally, be washed in a commercial car wash where the excess water is collected by the sanitary sewer system and treated before it is released. Barring that, washing the vehicle on a pervious surface, such as a grassed area, will allow the soapy water to soak into the ground where plants can use it instead of it running off to lakes or streams through the stormwater system.

5. When, where, and how can I drain my swimming pool and why does it matter?

Swimming pools, by state law, may not be discharged into a stormwater system if chlorine has been added within the previous seven days. If the water has been analyzed and it can be shown that the discharge would not contain a concentration greater than 0.05 milligrams per liter of chlorine residual, it may be discharged.

The stormwater system includes anything that would convey the water into a pond, lake, or stream. This includes a resident’s backyard if it drains outside the property lines. The chlorine discharged can damage aquatic life in lakes and streams as well as pose a hazard to other residents downstream. Swimming pool discharge should never be released in such a way that it would inconvenience adjacent properties.

6. How can I help prevent algae in ponds and lakes?

Algae generally feeds on excess fertilizer from the drainage system. The most effective way to stop the algae is to cut off its supply of fertilizer. This can be done by only using fertilizers when needed and in the amounts needed and allowing a buffer strip of plants to grow around the water’s edge. Leaving 10-30 feet of vegetation around the water's edge that is not mowed can significantly reduce the amount of pollutants entering the water and feeding the algae.

7. How much fertilizer does my grass need and why does it matter?

There is no way to know how much fertilizer and what type is needed without testing the soil. Soil testing kits can save the owner money by showing that less fertilizer is needed and preserve the environment at the same time. Excess fertilizer is washed away by rainfall. Once the excess fertilizer reaches lakes and streams, it is consumed by plants such as algae. This can lead to algae blooms, where the entire surface of a lake is covered with algae.

8. What is erosion and why does it matter?

Erosion is the indiscriminate transport of soil sediment by any means. Most erosion happens as the result of rainfall, but wind and vehicular tires also produce erosion. Sediments from erosion settle in swales, ponds, lakes, and streams until they eventually fill them. This then requires excavation to return the drainage features to their original state, many times at the tax payers' expense.

9. When do I need an erosion control permit?

Any land disturbance may require an erosion control permit. There is no specific minimum size of project where this begins. Every building permit is reviewed to see if an erosion control permit is needed. Some landscaping projects that do not require a building permit will still require an erosion control permit.

10. Where can I discharge my sump pump?

Sump pumps must be discharged across a vegetated area at least 10 feet from the property line or right of way line. They cannot be directly linked to a storm sewer or sanitary sewer.

11. What is Rule 13 (EPA Phase II) and how does it affect me?

Rule 13 is the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM’s) response to the federal mandate known as the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Phase II requirements. The EPA's Phase II is the second part of its non-point source pollution regulation under the Clean Water Act. Phase I included all large metropolitan areas in the United States, Phase II will include many of the more moderate sized urban areas.

Everyone will be affected by these regulations because individual communities will be forced to alter their existing ordinances to reduce the amount of non-point source pollution produced within their boundaries. This may lead to increased maintenance costs, new development design standards, and/or new regulations regarding fertilizer use just to name a few.

12. What are hazardous materials?

Hazardous materials encompass a wide variety of materials and products. Used batteries, motor oil, paint, paint thinner, gasoline, and lubricants are just a few of the household chemicals that can destroy the environment if they are not disposed of properly. Some guidelines even classify soapy water as a hazardous material because of the environmental impacts it can have on water bodies.

13. Where can I dispose of yard waste or hazardous materials?

The Solid Waste Department of the City of Valparaiso will pick up yard waste only. Porter County hosts an annual hazardous materials day at the county fairgrounds where residents can drop off hazardous materials that should not even be placed in the trash, let alone poured out on the ground or into an inlet. Please contact the City of Valparaiso if you have any question about these services.

14. How can I help prevent storm water pollution?

Everyone can reduce the amount of non-point source pollution they produce. Simple things such as washing our cars on a grassed area where the detergents will soak into the ground instead of running along the driveway and street into an inlet that will carry it all the way to a lake or stream. Use the correct amount of fertilizer for our plants when needed so that the excess can’t be washed off and fertilize algae in nearby lakes and ponds. Never pour anything down an inlet that you wouldn’t want in a stream or lake because that’s where it will go. Dispose of trash and yard waste in proper ways so that they don’t get washed into our lakes and streams. There are many such activities that can make a difference and preserve our lakes and streams for our children and our children’s children.

15. What is non-point source pollution and why is it important?

Non-point source pollution is pollution that is produced over an area and not released from a specific source. These pollutants are washed away by rainwater and eventually enter lakes and streams. Government regulations have drastically reduced point source pollution, such as illegal dumping or leaking storage tanks, and are now targeting non-point source pollution. Non-point source pollution is damaging our lakes and streams by clogging them with sediment and raising levels of specific pollutants in them.

16. What if I have flooding problems?

If you are having problems with flooding or standing water, please contact the City Engineer’s office at the Valparaiso City Hall, 219-462-1161. We will investigate the problem and do what we can to solve it. There are currently many such problems within the City of Valparaiso so projects are prioritized based upon several factors that include public safety and potential property damaged to residents. We will get to each problem as quickly as possible.

17. Where can my downspouts discharge?

Downspouts cannot be tied into a storm sewer. They must be discharged in a vegetated area at least 10 feet away form the property line or right of way line along a street or alley. This allows some of the water to infiltrate or soak into the ground and spread out over a larger area before reaching adjacent properties.

18. What is the $12 on my utility bill used for?

The $12 fee added to all single family residential utility bills is used for maintenance and repairs of the stormwater drainage system operated by the City of Valparaiso. Commercial and industrial sites pay more each month based on the square footage of impervious area on their facility. The funds are used to solve flooding problems, as well as a host of other activities. Every resident benefits from these activities because they maintain the systems that drain stormwater from city streets to provide safe travel and transport as well as prevent stagnant water from becoming a problem.

19. Where can I find information on how to deal with basement seepage?

The City of Valparaiso Engineering Department has developed a pamphlet on dealing with basement seepage in response to the heavy rain the Valparaiso area experienced in September of 2008. This pamphlet was intended as an informational, self-help tool for the residents of the city to mitigate the seepage problems View the pamphlet (PDF).