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Storm Water Home Page |
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Rule 13 Documents |
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Storm Water Education |
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Storm Water Quality Home Page
News and General
Information
Storm water and why it is a concern:
Anytime it rains, water falls onto many different surfaces, and depending on the surface, it either enters the ground, or runs off to another location. For instance, if rain falls on grass, a portion soaks into the ground, but if it lands on a paved parking lot, it runs off the lot to another location. Within the Urbanized Area of Monroe County, much of the rain runs off of driveways, parking lots, and streets, where it picks up oil, grease, sediments, and many other pollutants that are harmful to the environment. To report erosion problems at construction sites, please call the Monroe County Planning Department at 349-2560.
Most people don't realize that the polluted runoff from impervious surfaces (like pavement) runs into storm drain inlets which drain directly into streams and other water bodies (including drinking water supplies such as Lake Monroe). This type of pollution is called non-point source pollution because the overall pollution comes from many different sources. Polluted runoff damages and kills vegetation, fish, and wildlife habitats. Runoff from bad septic systems and farms can cause E. coli levels in waterways to become dangerous to human health, and can cause overproduction of algae in lakes and ponds which lead to fish kills.
The only way to lessen this pollution is to reduce the amount of pollutants washed away by storm water. To learn more about storm water, please refer to the storm water education link provided. To see a map of what is considered the Urbanized Area, please refer to the maps link.
Improving Storm Water Quality:
To combat the non-point source pollution storm water problem, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created Phase II of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Indiana's state level version of Phase II was created by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and is referred to as Rule 13.
Rule 13 is designed to reduce the pollution that enters storm water from urbanized areas, including those within Monroe County, and work towards the CWA's ultimate goal of making all surface waters fishable and swimmable. To find out more about Rule 13, please refer to the link provided.
The current state of our local waterways:
Currently, there are 13 water bodies in the Monroe County urbanized area that the state considers impaired and which are affected by storm water runoff. The contaminations are from E. coli, impaired biotic communities, mercury, PCBs, and excess algae.
E. coli pollution, which is mainly caused by failing septic systems and animal waste from pets and farms, impairs three county streams. Eight water bodies have been cited for impaired biotic communities, the result of sediment overloading from construction sites into storm water. To see a complete list of impaired water bodies in Monroe County, please refer to the 303(d) list link on the storm water education page.
The Planning Department is currently developing a Stream Assessment project utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related benchmark applications in order to develop a comprehensive assessment of watershed/catchment areas within Monroe County. The pilot study for this on-going project identifies the methodologies and results for the data collection within the West Fork -Clear Creek watershed.
The study is available on the Planning Department website.
Attn: Residents - Monroe County needs YOUR help:
The quality of Monroe County's storm water affects and is effected by EVERYONE who lives here. For instance, storm water may be washing away your pollutants into streams and lakes if you...
- ...own a car that leaks fluids.
- ...have a pet that uses the bathroom outside.
- ...use pesticides or fertilizers in your lawn or garden.
- ...have a failing septic system.
- ...litter.
- ...wash your car in your driveway.
- ...and much more.
*REMEMBER: These things wash away into water that you may be drinking, swimming in, fishing in, or recreating on. If waterways in your area are polluted, they may even be affecting the property value of your land. To find out tips on how you can reduce storm water pollution, please refer to the storm water education page.
Bloomington Utilities' Storm Drain Marking Program:
Storm drains are commonly misused for the disposal of waste such as paint, motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides and other pollutants. This improper disposal can seriously damage our community's water quality and environment.
In Bloomington and Ellettsville, storm water runoff is discharged directly into nearby streams, rivers, lakes, or even sinkholes and caves, which are conduits to groundwater.
The Storm Drain Marking Program (SDMP) is a consolidated effort by local agencies and volunteers to limit the amount of pollutants that enter our waterways by marking storm drains with the message, "No Dumping - Drains to Stream."
For more information about the program and how you can get involved, visit the Storm Drain Marking Program website.
Monroe County Water Quality Assessments
You can search the Hoosier Riverwatch site for chemical, biological, and habitat assessments performed within the county by participating organizations using Hoosier Riverwatch testing protocol.
You can download turbidity and total settleable solids (TSS) data collected in the county during storm events. Data in pdf format is available to download for:
Guest Editorial: Bloomington Herald-Times
Click here to read Todd Stevenson's guest editorial from early 2004 on the dangers of non-point source pollution to water quality in Monroe County.
On October 31, 2003 Monroe County submitted its Notice of Intent for Rule 13 to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. This is the first step in developing a Storm Water Management Plan for the Urbanized Area in Monroe County that drains storm water to local waterways. The other regulated entities within Monroe County (Bloomington, Ellettsville, Indiana University, and Ivy Tech) have also submitted their NOIs.
Storm Water Management Ordinance Chapter 761:
The intent or objective of this Chapter is to promote the public benefits associated with well-designed and well-maintained storm water drainage systems, to minimize the external costs and impacts that may arise from substandard storm water drainage systems and maintenance practices and to achieve and maintain compliance with federal, state, and local water quality and flood damage prevention regulations.
Read the full ordinance (pdf).
Updated: September 10, 2009
Home | Back to Top | Disclaimer | Contact Us
Did you know that Americans change over 400 million oil filters a year? These filters have a high steel content and additional motor oil, both easily recycled. If all of the oil filters manufactured in 1994 had been recycled, an estimated 161,500 tons of steel could have been recovered and 17.8 million gallons of used oil would have been kept out of our fields and waterways.
- To learn how you can prevent storm water pollution, check out the "Tips for the home and/or vehicle owner" link on the Storm Water Education Page.
NEW!
- Click here to download the Stormwater Environment Education Team’s (SWEET) Rain Garden brochure.