Drainage board approves multiple dewatering permits for large construction projects, requires monitoring and cleanup commitments

The St. Joseph County Drainage Board on a motion approved a set of dewatering permits for multiple construction sites, including permits tied to the IEC3 (also referenced as ICE 3) development and CNE’s lift‑station work, and attached monitoring and maintenance conditions after substantial discussion of downstream impacts.

Board members considered applications that authorize peak discharges of up to 450,000 gallons per hour at individual sites and larger multi‑line discharges tied to the Smilax (Smilox) lift‑station work. One permit authorizes a south‑side State Road 2 discharge to operate between Dec. 3, 2024, and May 1, 2025, for a maximum of 43 operating days within that window. Other north‑side permits (including runs parallel to Larson Road/State Route 2) were approved with run‑time limits (for example, a 57‑day maximum on one north‑side permit) and an expectation that no more than two dewatering activities will operate…