Stormwater and CSO

Stormwater

The City of Elkhart's Stormwater Utility was created in 2006. This system exists to convey the stormwater that drains off yards, roofs, streets, and parking lots from neighborhoods to local waterways or retention ponds.  The Utility must also ensure that Elkhart meets state and federal requirements for improving the quality of stormwater runoff. Because most stormwater receives no treatment before it goes into a stream, lake, or river it is important that we keep as many pollutants as possible out of the stormwater runoff.

The  Elkhart County Stormwater Assessment Fee is calculated as follows:

For non-residential parcels the annual fee is calculated using the following equation:

• [(Total Square Feet of Impervious Surface on Parcel) / 3600] * $15 = Stormwater Fee
  *Note: 1 ERU (Equivalent Residential Unit) = 3600 square feet
• All residential parcels are billed for one ERU ($15 annually)

Developers wanting more information on how to submit a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan can visit Compliance Process for MS4 Communities within Elkhart County (External URL).

For homeowners wanting more information on the rain garden or rain barrel incentives, please visit the Homeowners page (External URL) on the Elkhart County Soil and Water Conservation District website.

Combined Sewer Overflow

Our sewer system, like many in cities throughout the United States, was designed to carry both sewage and rainwater – with relief points that overflow when too much rainwater enters the system.

During dry weather, sewage flows safely through the sewers to our wastewater treatment plant. However, during rainstorms or snowmelt, the incoming stormwater can overwhelm the sewers and cause raw sewage to overflow into the St. Joseph River, Elkhart River, and Christiana Creek.

As required by law, any permittees authorized to discharge a CSO to the Great Lakes Basin shall make available to the public an annual notice describing the CSO discharges from its discharge points that occurred in the previous calendar year.  To meet this requirement, the City of Elkhart has compiled several documents and sources of data for the public to access.  The required Public Notification and the associated documents are provided below.

CSO Public Notification 2024 Annual Notice (PDF)

2024 CSO Op Plan Complete (PDF)

2024 CSO MROs (PDF)

LTCP Status Report July 1 – December 31, 2024 (PDF)

LTCP Status Report January 1 – June 30, 2025 (PDF)

Signed Consent Decree (PDF)

Consent Decree Amendments (PDF)