State regulators give sparkling grades to Chesterton, Lake County, Portage, the town of Porter and two Porter County conservation districts for their effort to comply with new, stringent Clean Water Act regulations.
The state is requiring county and municipal governments as well as colleges and other large scale soil and water conservation programs to reduce the amount of agricultural and urban runoff into local waterways.
Lake County Surveyor George Van Til said the county's audit affirms the last two years of planning by his office and other county officials to enforce clean water mandates. He said the county is ahead of a number of other communities in Northwest Indiana.
"The state is saying things like successful partnership, innovative management, excellent public education and we are above and beyond requirements," Van Til said.
The state audit also praised the partnership among the board of commissioners, surveyor, health department, soil and water conservation district and Solid Waste Management District that produced "best management practices that meet and exceed their storm water quality management plan."
Amy Hartsock, IDEM spokeswoman, said six local government agencies received satisfactory marks and audits will be readied in the coming weeks for another 18 communities and agencies. She said any that don't comply could be assessed civil penalties, but the state is committed to helping those that are struggling.
"We've got a very strong ordinance, which is acknowledged to be one of the best in the state," said Dan Gardner, director of the surveyor office's Clean Water division. "We have a dedicated funding source, something a number of communities coming on line are struggling to get in place. We looked at all of the county owned facilities and tried to get them into compliance with the standards. According to the IDEM audit, we have them going in the right direction."
He said they hope to reduce south county flooding and soil erosion next year through wider drainage ditches with stairstep-shaped sides that carry much larger water capacity. He said that design slows the velocity of a flood surge, so topsoil suspended in the water settles on the stepped side rather than washing farther downstream into a river or lake.
Gardner said this so-called two-stage ditch may help reduce sediment flowing into Lake Michigan or smaller bodies of water like Lake Dalecarlia north of Lowell. He said it also traps runoff fertilizer from farm fields.
