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Council adopts update to stormwater illicit‑discharge code after IDEM reclassification
Summary
Evansville replaced chapter 13.25 of its municipal code to reflect elevation from IDEM Phase 2 to Phase 1 stormwater requirements; the change requires more active inspections and local enforcement of commercial/industrial stormwater controls.
The common council adopted Ordinance G‑2024‑07 on Oct. 14 to repeal and replace chapter 13.25 of the Evansville Municipal Code governing illicit‑discharge detection and elimination. Public works chair Jim Brickmeyer and staff member Mike Lubitsky told the council the change responds to the city's reclassification from a Phase 2 to a Phase 1 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) community, which requires more frequent inspections and creation of local programs addressing sources such as restaurant oil‑water separators and industrial sites already regulated under IDEM Rule 6.
Mike Lubitsky said the ordinance will make the city the local inspector for some industrial controls and that staff have worked with builders and CEBA to make standards manageable. Councilman Burton sought clarification about when an associated local technical standards document would be finalized; staff explained a second ordinance on the agenda references that document and that the separate technical standards are still under development.
The council adopted the ordinance by roll call (recorded as seven ayes, zero nays). Staff and council members emphasized continuing stakeholder engagement as the technical standards are completed.
Why it matters: The ordinance updates local regulatory and inspection responsibilities tied to state and federal stormwater program requirements and has implications for developers, restaurants and industrial operators in the city.
What’s next: City staff will finalize the accompanying technical standards document and return any required ordinances for adoption once the standards are complete.
Quotes
"This ordinance does all that, for that reason," a public works staffer said while describing duties that accompany Phase 1 status.
Provenance
Topic intro: SEG 272. Topic finish: SEG 351.
Speakers
Jim Brickmeyer — role/title: Public Works Chair (first appears SEG 272). Mike Lubitsky — role/title: Public works staff (first appears SEG 273). Councilman Burton — role/title: Councilman (first appears SEG 016).
