MS4 Program

Contact Information

Richard McGee - Water Pollution Control Superintendent Mailing address: 234 South Main Street Kendallville, IN 46755 Office address: 501 West Wayne Street Kendallville, IN 46755 Tel: 260-347-1362 Fax: 260-347-7037 Email: wpc@kendallville-in.org  Mitch Winebrenner - MS4 Administrator Mailing address: 234 South Main Street Kendallville, IN 46755 Office address: 501 West Wayne Street Kendallville, IN 46755 Tel: 260-347-1362 Fax: 260-347-7037 Email: wpc@kendallville-in.org  Noble County Surveyor 2090 N. State Road 9, Suite B Albion, IN 46701 Tel: 260-347-1362 Fax: 260-347-7037

The City of Kendallville is a designated MS4 Community. MS4 stands for Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System.

The MS4 is a federally mandated program that requires municipalities to take measures to reduce pollutants in storm water runoff to improve water quality. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) requires the City of Kendallville to comply with rule (327 IAC 15-13).

The MS4 is permitted under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program through the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).

The Problem
We all see the water flowing into our storm drains during a storm or snowmelt. What most residents don’t realize, is that the water flowing into our Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4’s) is arriving dirtier and in greater quantities than ever before.

The problem occurs when precipitation lands on an impervious surface such as a paved street, rooftop, or driveway. Instead of the water slowly soaking into the soil and becoming purified, the water flows over these impervious surfaces and picks up pollutants. Oil and grease from roadways, pesticides from lawns, sediment from construction sites, and litter are all picked up by the water and conveyed directly to a storm drains which flow directly to our streams, rivers and lakes.

The Result
Increased volumes of polluted water reaching storm sewers impair our waterways.
Pollutants contaminate drinking water supplies, and interfere with the habitat for fish, aquatic organisms, and wildlife. High volumes of water undercut streambeds and cause erosion, leading to the degradation of waterways.

The Solution
To meet the new requirements each designated MS4 entity was required to submit a permit application to IDEM, due by November 4, 2003 for most designated entities. The permit period runs for five (5) years. The permit application requires development of a Storm Water Quality Management Plan (SWQMP) which is an action plan for the MS4 entity to institute six requirements called Minimum Control Measures (MCM).


The Six Minimum Control Measures (MCM’s)

1. Public Education and Outreach
    
2. Public Involvement and Participation
    
3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
    
4. Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control
    
5. Post-Construction Storm Water Management in New Development and Redevelopment
    
6. Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations Maintenance

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