Mishawaka’s Commitment to Reasonable Environmental Stewardship: Leading with Responsibility, Results, and Reason

Mishawaka’s Commitment to Reasonable Environmental Stewardship: Leading with Responsibility, Results, and Reason

For decades, the City of Mishawaka has made environmental stewardship a central part of its mission. Through sustained investment, careful planning, and strong partnerships with state and federal agencies, Mishawaka has emerged as a leader in protecting local waterways and improving water quality for future generations.

Now, after more than a generation of work and approximately $400 million in environmental infrastructure investment, the City is reaching an important milestone: our Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) and Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) program is nearing completion. With measurable environmental gains already achieved, Mishawaka is responsibly seeking a modernized, science-based approach to the final phase of compliance.

This is not about doing less. It is about doing what works.

A Record of Environmental Leadership

Mishawaka’s LTCP and CSO program was designed to address historic sewer overflow challenges and improve water quality in the St. Joseph River watershed. Over the years, the City has:

• Constructed major treatment, and separation projects

• Upgraded wastewater infrastructure

• Expanded monitoring and reporting systems

• Reduced overflow volumes dramatically

• Improved aquatic and recreational conditions

These efforts were undertaken in close coordination with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Department of Justice.

The results speak for themselves.

Today, Mishawaka captures and treats approximately 99.6% of wet-weather flows, placing the City among the highest-performing systems in the region and the state.

Past the Point of Diminishing Returns

With performance levels exceeding 99.6%, Mishawaka has entered what engineers and regulators recognize as the zone of diminishing returns.

At this stage:

• Additional projects deliver minimal environmental improvement

• Each incremental gain requires exponentially greater cost

• Remaining overflow events are rare and highly limited

• Water quality benefits become statistically negligible

Under the current Consent Decree framework, the City is being asked to invest an additional $130 million to pursue a zero-overflow standard.

Independent technical analysis shows that this level of spending would not produce meaningful, measurable environmental improvement.

In practical terms, the community would bear enormous financial burden without corresponding ecological benefit.

That is neither sustainable nor responsible.

Responsible Stewardship Means Smart Stewardship

True environmental leadership is not measured by how much money is spent. It is measured by outcomes.

Mishawaka’s approach reflects modern best practices in water management:

• Focus on measurable results

• Invest where benefits are real

• Protect ratepayers

• Maintain long-term system stability

• Preserve affordability

After decades of investment, the City has delivered on its commitments. The remaining work must now be guided by science, data, and fiscal responsibility.

This is exactly what Mishawaka is doing.

Working in Partnership with State and Federal Agencies

The City is actively working with IDEM, EPA, and DOJ to secure a reasonable, evidence-based modification to its federal Consent Decree.

Specifically, Mishawaka is seeking approval to adjust its compliance standard from zero overflows to two limited overflow events, a level that remains environmentally protective while reflecting real-world system performance.

This approach:

• Maintains exceptional water quality

• Preserves public health protections

• Reflects national regulatory trends

• Aligns with modern enforcement practices

• Supports community affordability

Importantly, this is not a request for exemption. It is a request for alignment with demonstrated results.

The City continues to engage openly and constructively with regulators and appreciates the ongoing dialogue and cooperation.

Protecting the Environment and the Community

Environmental stewardship and financial stewardship are not competing values. In Mishawaka, they are complementary.

Every additional dollar spent on infrastructure is paid by residents and businesses through utility rates. Responsible leadership requires ensuring that those investments deliver real value.

By pursuing a balanced, data-driven modification, the City is:

• Protecting water quality

• Protecting household affordability

• Protecting economic competitiveness

• Protecting future infrastructure capacity

This approach ensures that environmental progress remains durable and sustainable.A Model for the Future

Mishawaka’s CSO and LTCP program stands as a model of long-term commitment, technical excellence, and public accountability.

Few communities of similar size have achieved comparable performance.

As this historic effort approaches its conclusion, the City remains focused on finishing strong—guided by science, partnership, and responsibility.

Our message is simple:

Mishawaka has done the work.
Mishawaka has delivered results.
Now, Mishawaka is leading the way forward.

Through collaboration, transparency, and sound judgment, the City will continue protecting our environment while building a resilient, affordable, and sustainable future for generations to come. The City of Mishawaka are calling on the Federal agencies to finally work in good faith with Mishawka to appropriately revise our consent decree from 0 to 2.