2026 Indiana MS4 Partnership - The Power of Sharing What Works

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Key Topics 

Ty introduces the episode theme: sharing what works at the Indiana MS4 Annual Partnership Meeting  

Interview with Nick Parkman, City of Peru: D-Trash the Wabash riverbank cleanup program, 500-plus acres cleaned since 2008, community engagement, and advice for MS4s looking to launch similar events

Interview with Josh Boyko, Ferguson: Corporate sponsorship, board involvement, and why community-minded companies invest in the MS4 partnership

Interview with Matt Lake, City of Merrillville: Northwest Indiana Stormwater Advisory Group (NICEWAG), regional collaboration, LID requirements, E. coli source tracking, and stormwater fee funding structure

Interview with Luke Owen, NPDES Training Institute: How a LinkedIn connection led to eight years of returning to the Indiana conference, hands-on training techniques, and attendees get out of conferences what they put in

Interview with Christy Lindbergh, City of Bloomington Utility: Twenty-seven years in stormwater, co-founding the partnership, a monthly stormwater educators network, and pending retirement into Master Gardeners work

Interview with Joe Foy, Elkhart County Soil and Water Conservation District: A career path from fisheries biology to stormwater, twenty years with the City of Elkhart, the Elkhart County MS4 partnership model, and the value of education over enforcement

Interview with Reggie Korthals, Executive Director: The origin story of the Indiana MS4 Annual Partnership, growth to 360-plus attendees, the upcoming tiered permit structure, and the conference's impact on LinkedIn engagement for the podcast

In this episode of the Stormwater World Podcast, host Ty Garmon returns to the Indiana MS4 Annual Partnership Meeting in Plainfield, IN, for a special multi-interview episode featuring award recipients from across the state. The conversations reveal a consistent and compelling theme: the stormwater community in Indiana has built something rare, a culture of open collaboration where MS4 coordinators actively share resources, program ideas, and lessons learned with neighboring communities. From riverbank cleanups to regional advisory groups to decades-long careers devoted to water quality education, this episode is a testament to what happens when people in stormwater stop competing and start cooperating.   

The views expressed are that of the individual and do not represent the opinions of any companies past, present or future.

Connect with Nick Parkman:

Website: https://www.peruutilities.com/

 

Connect with Josh Boyko:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-boyko-8253337/

 

Connect with Matt Lake:

Website: https://www.merrillville.in.gov/departments/stormwater_management/index.php

 

Connect with Luke Owen:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/npdestraining/

 

Connect with Christy Lindbergh: Retired

 

Connect with Joe Foy:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-foy-804117110/

 

Connect with Karen Barnhill:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karan-barnhill-18253842/

 

Connect with Reggie Korthals:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reggie-korthals-2a256316b/

 

Connect with Ty Garmon, LEED AP: 

Connect with Ty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tygarmon/

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