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Port Authority approves hiring engineering firm to update expired IDEM stormwater permit
Summary
The Michigan City Port Authority approved engaging Butler, Fairman and Seaford to update its expired IDEM stormwater permit, with board discussion noting a $20,000–$30,000 estimated cost and an expected multi-month timeline.
The Michigan City Port Authority Board of Directors voted to pursue an update to its Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) stormwater permit and to engage engineering firm Butler, Fairman and Seaford to assist with the work.
Harbormaster Tim Frame told the board that the authority’s IDEM stormwater permit has expired and that the port needs an updated stormwater pollution prevention plan and related filings. "So our IDEM stormwater permit has expired, and I've been looking for somebody that can help us resubmit that," Frame said. He told directors the new IDEM requirements are still being finalized and described the current period as a "gray period," but said there are items the port needs to update now.
Frame said the authority already has testing handled locally and that the engineering firm could assist with permit resubmission and other tasks. He described a range of service options the firm proposed and gave a staff estimate that, depending on selected options, the work would cost between $20,000 and $30,000 and take "probably 6 or 8 months" to complete.
A board member moved to accept Frame’s recommendation to proceed with the work and to authorize the expenditure in the estimated range; the motion was seconded and approved by the board. The board directed staff to return with specific scopes and schedule details as work phases are confirmed.
Why it matters: the permit governs stormwater management at port property and compliance affects permitting, testing and potential future construction or dredging work. Board members noted that some portions of the work could be done this fall while other tasks would not be possible until next spring, and asked staff to provide updates as phases are scheduled.
No statutory citation was presented in the meeting. The board’s action authorizes staff to engage the named engineering firm to update the port's stormwater paperwork and to proceed within the board-approved budget range.
