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What's being done? Street Cleaning The Terre Haute Street Department is in charge of street sweeping. The department currently has six trucks, five of which are used every day. The trucks use only air and water—no soap or chemicals which can be washed into the sewer system. The downtown area streets are cleaned twice a month, and during the fall, the street department uses separate leaf vacuums for the heavy amount of leaves that accumulate across the City. Also, storm sewer inlets are cleaned on a rotational basis, with each inlet being checked at least twice a year. City of Terre Haute has become an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful The City of Terre Haute's organization, Keep Terre Haute Beautiful (KTHB) has formed a partnership with TREES, Inc. to focus on litter prevention, waste reduction, beautification, and community involvement. the group holds two community clean-up days per year. In addition, they have several tree planting pregrams. The Clean-Up Days this year are scheduled for: Saturday, May 1, 2010 Saturday, October 2, 2010 Please visit this website, Keep Terre Haute Beautiful to learn more about their vision and their goals for our community. KTHB has recently become an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Keep America Beautiful (KAB) is a national organization that shares this same focus and guiding principles as KTHB with greater resources to help our community reach our goals. In order to join KAB, Committee Members had to complete several days of training and conduct a focus area community survey. In addition, they must produce an annual index to monitor improvement. Did you know that cigarette butts are, by far, the most littered item in America? Hoosiers smoke about 11 Billion Cigarettes a year!
Water Conservation Water conservation reduces the amount of wastewater that enters the collection system and improves its performance during dry and wet weather. Indiana American Water, Terre Haute’s water supplier, promotes a water conservation program that encourages residents avoid using excess water during all household tasks, such as turning off the water while brushing your teeth. For more information on this water conservation program, please visit the Indiana American Water conservation webpage. The Vigo County Soil and Water Conservation District is selling rain barrels to help conserve water and reduce storm water pollution. So far, they have sold approximately 125 rain barrels. Rainwater stored in rain barrels helps to reduce the amount of storm water runoff and the amount of pollutants that are picked up and carried into storm sewers, creeks, and the Wabash River. The use of rain barrels also helps to reduce the amount of water used from underground aquifers. Using rain barrels is good for your plants too because the water they collect is naturally soft water that is devoid of minerals, chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals. The water collected in rain barrels can be used to water your flowers, shrubs, trees, and lawn. It can even be used to wash your car or to rinse your tools.
Storm Water Management In 2004, Terre Haute’s engineering department developed a Storm Water Quality Management Program (SWQMP) for Terre Haute and Vigo County. This program includes best management practices for public education and participation, construction site stormwater runoff, illicit discharge detection and elimination, and pollution prevention around the City. Managing Storm Water with Pervious Pavement The City of Terre Haute is using pervious concrete as an environmentally friendly tool to help manage storm water. Porous pavements allow for more sustainable land development plans. They conserve water, reduce runoff, promote infiltration which cleanses storm water, and protect our lakes and streams. The City has successfully constructed pervious concrete parking lots at two locations now. The first is located at the corner of Blakely and Locust Street. The second parking lot is located on the corner of 7th Avenue and 4th Street to service visitors of Memorial Park. The park includes a playground, a softball/baseball field, and a sand volleyball court. Indiana State University has recently constructed a porous asphalt pavement parking lot at the Bob Warn Baseball Field at the corner of Locust and 1st Streets. Click here to see photos of porous pavements in Terre Haute
PRESENTS: "The Concrete That Drinks"
Automotive Repair Facility Inspections The Terre Haute Wastewater Utility receives and treats wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial customers prior to discharge to the Wabash River. Automotive repair facilities have the potential to discharge substances that may interfere with the operations of the wastewater treatment system and could result in those pollutants discharging directly into the Wabash River without receiving treatment. Because of this potential, the City of Terre Haute’s Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator may require these facilities to obtain an Industrial User Discharge Permit. In order to be exempt from this requirement, automobile repair facilities can elect to implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will help their businesses comply with environmental regulations and prevent pollution at the source. The Wastewater Utility has been conducting inspections of local automotive repair facilities and providing them with a copy of the Best Management Practices Manual for Auto Repair Facilities. This reference manual provides guidance on best management practices as well as explanations of required practices that can assist auto repair facilities in obtaining compliance with federal, state and local regulations. Solid Waste Management District Programs The Clay-Owen-Vigo County Solid Waste Management District (SWMD) provides numerous ongoing programs and annual events for civic groups, clubs, and schools of Terre Haute. They offer the following ongoing programs:
The SWMD also sponsors various annual events around the community, such as:
For more information about these programs offered by the Solid Waste Management District, please call Recycling Programs Terre Haute and Vigo County offer a wide variety of recycling programs. If you are unable to find the information you need in the table below, visit Earth 911. Recycling Options The table below offers organizations that offer recycling options:
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(812) 443-0168 or (800) 387-3380.