Stormwater Management
UPCOMING OR ACTIVE STORMWATER PROGRAM EVENTS:
Follow the Stormwater Program on
Click here for Stormwater Program news
Click here for Active Stormwater Projects
Stormwater Management Information
Stormwater Hotline: 317-567-5056
Engineering & Public Works Department: 317-595-3160
Ordinances, Standards, and Technical Documents:
As part of the federal Clean Water Act and the State of Indiana Administrative Code, over 200 towns, cities, and other entities in the state of Indiana are required to develop and implement a plan to address stormwater quality. The Town of Fishers is one of these communities.
Stormwater quality is important to everyone. Rainwater that falls on streets, parking lots, rooftops, and lawns often becomes polluted by automotive fluids, household chemicals, eroded soils, and lawn fertilizers before it enters the Town's storm sewer system through inlets. This polluted stormwater runoff travels through the storm sewers directly into ponds, streams, and rivers without receiving any treatment. This affects our ability to use the water for swimming, drinking, and fishing, and also degrades the aquatic life habitat. The Town of Fishers is working to reduce the pollutants entering area waterways.
Your help in this program is welcomed. The program's success will depend on community involvement to help educate everyone about stormwater, clean up areas around streams and rivers, and to identify sources of pollution. If you want to get involved or have questions, please contact us via the provided contact information.
The Town has implemented the following six (6) minimum control measures to help minimize the impacts of urban runoff on local water quality:
1. Public Education & Outreach
This control measure requires the Town to distribute educational materials and perform outreach activities to inform citizens about the impacts polluted stormwater can have on water quality. Be sure to look for a Stormwater Program representative at community events such as the Freedom Festival and the Public Works Department Touch-a-Truck Day. In addition, the Town regularly has sent out informative post cards or developed, radio, theater, or TV ads with information on how the public can protect stormwater with their daily choices regarding waste disposal, and lawn chemical use. During 2010, the Town coordinated with several other local municipalities and the Upper White River Watershed Alliance (UWRWA) to develop a major TV ad campaign to promote phosphorus-free fertilizer use. To view the 30 second TV advertisement click here.
For more specific information on the Town's EPA requirements regarding Public Education & Outreach, please click here. Class Presentations
The Stormwater Program staff also conducts interactive presentations for local school children using an Enviroscape watershed model. These presentations are designed to help children learn about how polluted stormwater runoff can greatly affect local water quality and are generally geared towards 4th - 6th graders. In order to learn more about these presentations or schedule a presentation for your class, please contact us here.
EPA Educational Resources & Data
EPA Educational Resources For Children
Additional Resources
Fact Sheets
2. Public Participation & Involvement
This control measure requires the Town to provide opportunities for citizens to get involved in various stormwater issues. This has included hosting events such as White River Cleanup and Water Awareness Week, the Phosphorus Free Pledge/Free Rain Barrel Giveaway, and gathering stormwater related information from residents through various surveys. For more information about the Phosphorus Free Pledge/Free Rain Barrel Giveaway (open to Fishers residents only) click here.
For more specific information on the Town's EPA requirements regarding Public Participation & Involvement, please click here.
Volunteer Programs
Several volunteer programs such as the Adopt-A-Road Program and Storm Drain Marking Program have been implemented. These programs were put into place to help raise awareness and environmental stewardship amongst the Town's residents. To obtain more information or start participating in the Adopt-A-Road and/or Storm Drain Marking Programs, please contact us here.
White River Clean-Up
The Town also annually coordinates the 116th Street boat launch site or the Renner's Automotive Site at the northwest corner of 146th Street and Allisonville Road for the Hamilton County White River Clean-Up. The clean-up is a watershed-wide event that asks volunteers to participate by getting their hands a little dirty and pulling trash and debris from the White River. The clean-up annually draws upwards of 700 volunteers in Hamilton County alone and is the main reason why the White River is much cleaner today than it has been in years past. For more information on the future White River Clean-Ups, please click here.
3. Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination
This control measure requires the Town to develop and implement a plan to detect and eliminate unauthorized discharges to the storm sewer system. The Town has completed a map of the entire storm sewer system and is now taking a proactive approach in looking for illicit discharges. Stormwater inspectors actively patrol the Town in search of illegal dumping activities. Each inspector has the ability to write a ticket for illegal dumping enforcement if observed. Also, the Town will be informing the community of the hazards associated with polluting storm drains and improper disposal of waste.
For more specific information on the Town's EPA requirements regarding Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination, please click here.
Report a Polluter
We all share in the responsibility of protecting our environment, and what goes into our storm sewers ends up in our ponds and rivers without treatment. This is why we ask that you please click the red button below to report any possible illegal discharges into a storm sewer or waterbody such as a ditch, creek, stream, pond, or lake.
4. Construction Site Runoff Control
This control measure requires the Town to enforce Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP) for construction activities disturbing one (1) or more acres of land. SWPPP are construction plans that guide a contractor how to protect stormwater from pollution from on site construction activities. Pollution on construction sites can come in several forms such as sediment (which is the #1 source of waterway pollution in Indiana), oil, gasoline, paints, concrete washout, cement mortar, etc. The SWPPP specifies the best ways to manage these pollutants on a site in order to prevent them from entering the waterways.
Construction practices such as concrete washout areas and erosion control fences
help minimize the impact of construction sites on local water quality.
For more specific information on the Town's EPA requirements regarding Construction Site Runoff Control, please click here.
5. Post Construction Runoff Control
This control measure requires the Town to develop, implement and enforce a program to address discharges of post-construction stormwater runoff from new development and redeveloped areas. Applicable controls could include preventive actions, such as protecting vulnerable areas (i.e. wetlands) or the use of structural Best Management Practices (BMPs) like grassed swales, buffer strips or hydro-dynamic separators. A BMP is any practice or structure that is intended to keep pollution from a site from entering a waterway. For example, a non-structural BMP might be a policy to limit or discontinue use of fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides at a site; whereas a structural BMP might be a storm inlet filter that actually removes sediment or oil from the stormwater before it enters the storm sewer system. Either way, each new development project within the Town that is one (1) acre or larger is required to have a site BMP prior to project completion.
For more specific information on the Town's EPA requirements regarding Post Construction Runoff Control, please click here.
6. Pollution Prevention & Good Housekeeping
This control measure requires the Town to develop and implement a program with the goal of preventing or reducing pollutant runoff from municipal operations. The program includes municipal staff training on pollution prevention measures and techniques (e.g., regular street sweeping, reduction in the use of pesticides or street salt, or frequent catch-basin and storm sewer cleaning). The Town has two (2) street sweepers that actively clean the streets throughout the year. In addition, the Town has a vacuum truck that is used regularly to remove sediment and other pollutants from the storm inlets and storm sewers throughout the year.
For more specific information on the Town's EPA requirements regarding Pollution Prevention & Good Housekeeping, please click here.
Stormwater Utility Funds Pond Dredging Project in River Glen
On July 20, 2011 the Town began a pond dredging project on the River Glen/Barrington Ridge Pond in Fishers. The pond had become overrun with sand and silt deposits from upstream runoff over the years. The sand/silt d
eposits had built up to the point that they were visible from the surface when the water was clear. Altogether, approximately 1,250 cubic yards (about 125 dump truck loads) of sediment was removed from the pond during this project. The contractor for the job used a floating barge that carried a mini dredge excavator and a sediment collection box shown in the picture to the left. After the box was full of sediment, the barge was floated to the bank of the pond and long arm excavator was used to load sediment from the box into dump trucks parked on the pond ramp (photo to right). Residents on the pond have been generally very happy with the results of this project.
Town To Host Water Awareness Week & White River Clean-Up
Water Awareness Week is September 4th through September 10th, 2011, the second week of September. The week will include Rx Disposal Day on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 from 5-7pm at Town Hall; Lawn Chemical Awareness Day on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at local homes and businesses; Water Conservation Day on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at local homes and businesses; and will culminate with the Annual White River Cleanup on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at the Renner's Automotive Site at the northwest corner of 146th and Allisonville Road from 8:30am to 1pm. The 2010 cleanup drew 571 volunteers from across the county who collected more than 18.4 tons of trash, 2.4 tons of recyclable steel, and 235 tires! COME JOIN THE FUN THIS YEAR! Click HERE for details on all events.
Additional information pertaining to the 2009 White River Cleanup can be found
in the media articles listed below:
Town Hosts Tidy Up-Be Bitter About Litter Trash Collection/Rx Drop Campaign in Support of Earth Day
The Town of Fishers hosted a trash collection and Rx disposal day on Saturday, April 24th, 2010 from 9am to 12pm in support of Earth Day. Residents were encouraged to collect trash within publicly owned ditches along Town streets and at Town parks. In total, 67 residents participated in the event and disposed of 7 large trash bags of unwanted medications and 2 trash bags of right-of-way litter.
Pond Edge Enhancement Project Completed
The pond at the Fishers Municipal Complex was recently renovated to publicly display six (6) different techniques that can be used in pond edge enhancement projects. The purpose of these projects is to prevent bank erosion, filter stormwater, beautify a shoreline, and create a wildlife habitat by providing a buffer of native vegetation and other features between the pond and the rest of the site. Pond edge enhancements provide significant environmental benefits and are strongly encouraged to be implemented in neighborhood ponds across the Town.
The six (6) techniques that were used included:
1. Wetland bog 2. Granite boulders with vegetation baskets
3. Native wildflower area
4. Coir logs with wetland plants
5. Erosion control blanket
6. Erosion control blanket with Coir logs
Pond edge enhancements can be installed either professionally or by a group of volunteers, and have a wide range of costs and elaboracy associated with the different techniques. If you are interested in installing pond edge enhancements to your neighborhood pond, please stop by the pond at the Town Municipal Complex to get a better idea of what a pond edge enhancement project entails. You can also contact us hereto schedule a guided tour of the pond or obtain more information about pond edge enhancement projects.
This project was funded by the Stormwater Utility Fee.
Pre-Enhancements Installation Post-Enhancements
GIS Floodplain Map Updated
The Town of Fishers recently updated it's GIS Floodplain Map which contains information about the different flood zones in the Town. This map also contains information regarding all Letters of Map Change (LOMC) applications that have been submitted to FEMA for properties in the Town of Fishers. If your property has been affected by one of these LOMC submittals, you can now view the actual letter for your property by activating the Letters of Map Amendment layer and selecting your property.
If you have questions about the GIS Floodplain Map, or whether your property or home is in a floodplain, please contact us here.
Stormwater Master Plan
The Town of Fishers Engineering & Public Works Departments completed a Stormwater Master Plan in 2009 and early 2010. The master plan report is available for review and is posted at the beginning of this website. This project was funded by the Stormwater Utility Fee. Several drainage projects have already been completed or are currently under way because of this master plan assessment. For additional information on the Stormwater Master Plan, please call the Stormwater Hotline or email us here. For a map showing the locations of completed drainage projects, click here.
Stormwater Utility Fee Information
For more information about the Stormwater Utility Fee, please click here.
