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Poison Hemlock

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

We want to raise awareness regarding the presence of poison hemlock, a highly invasive and toxic plant species in our area. Poison hemlock not only poses a significant health risk to humans, pets, and livestock if ingested but also presents dangers to skin and respiratory health upon contact or inhalation. It... more

City offices closed on Good Friday

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

All city offices will be closed on Friday, March 29 in observance of Good Friday. Trash collection will NOT be affected by the holiday this week. more

Invitation for Bids

Monday, March 25, 2024

 PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION OF ONE (1) DIESEL GENERATOR SET  INVITATION  The City of Goshen Board of Public Works and Safety is soliciting sealed offers for the purchase and installation of one (1) diesel generator set.  Offers are also being solicited for an optional item.... more

Upcoming Events All »

Park Board Meeting

Monday, April 1, 2024, 4:00pm

Public may join in person or virtually by following this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89736482570

Downtown Goshen Economic Improvement District

Thursday, April 4, 2024, 7:45am

The regular meetings of the Downtown Goshen Economic Improvement District Board will take place on the first Thursday of each month, excepting July, as set forth in the schedule below. The meetings will be held in the conference room located in Goshen City Hall at 202 South 5th Street, Goshen, Indiana. All meetings of the Goshen Downtown Economic Improvement District Board are open to the public with the exception of an executive session that may be held as authorized by Indiana Code ยง5-14-1.5-6.1. The Board may schedule meetings in addition to those listed above as necessary, subject to public notice requirements.

Board of Works

Thursday, April 4, 2024, 4:00pm

To join the webinar please copy and paste this link on your browser: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88469251269 or call +1 312 626 6799. Webinar ID: 884 6925 1269 Comments are no longer taken online.

Flood Zone

Goshen Flood Resilience Plan

Know the Risks - Flooding in Goshen

Flood Awareness Public Meeting: March 5, 2024

On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, the City of Goshen will be holding a public meeting on Flood Awareness at the Elkhart County Community Center at the Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds (Public Meeting Announcement Mailer). This free public event is in conjunction with the Elkhart County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Pay Dirt Conference. The conference is focused on soil and water conservation and stormwater management practices throughout the Elkhart River Watershed. The Public Flood Awareness meeting grows out of Goshen’s Flood Resilience Plan, adopted in 2022, in response to the historic flood of 2018. The public meeting will be an opportunity for city and county residents to hear the details of Goshen’s Flood Resilience Plan, the impacts of flooding in the City, the ongoing efforts to both adapt to and mitigate flooding, and to interact with experts and displays. The meeting will include some formal presentations and informal question and answer conversations. All are welcome to attend and food will be provided. Fact Sheet: Flood Awareness Facts and Resources (English and Spanish) 

Flood awareness and preparation are important in a community with reoccurring flooding, such as Goshen, as is working with our partners to positively impact the rivers and streams we live with.

To learn more about Goshen's Flood Resilience Plan a link to the full Plan is provided below. If you have questions or would like to provide input on concerns you have, please get in touch with Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley at 574-537-3850 or aaronkingsley@goshencity.com

Future flood awareness public meetings will be held and information will be shared here and through other avenues too. 

 
Flooded Shanklin Park during the February 2018 Flood (photo credit Andrew Kauffman)

City of Goshen Flood Resilience Plan
In 2018, the City of Goshen experienced its largest flood event in recorded history. The flood, and the damage it caused, prompted community calls for greater planning to increase Goshen's resilience against future flood events. The City of Goshen hired Christopher Burke Engineering as a consultant to assist and facilitate the building of a Flood Resilience Plan. The Plan is organized by geographic planning areas based on flood risks and makes recommendations for each. These recommendations range from specific actions undertaken by various City Departments to ordinance updates that limit high-risk development and incentivize future growth outside of flood hazard areas.

The Flood Resilience Plan was presented to the Goshen City Council on July 18, 2022, and was passed unanimously. One council member commented, "This Plan is a playbook to go by and in the future, the actions may be lessened or strengthened to fit the Goshen community." 

Check out the full plan at the link above, provide your thoughts on Goshen's Flood Resilience Plan by clicking here to fill out a survey, watch the public presentation from March 17, 2022, below, and check out the public presentation slides by clicking here


Know the Risks Project - Flood Risk Tools and Stories 

The "Know the Risks Project" is put together by the Goshen Stormwater Department as part of an effort to increase storm and flood literacy in the Goshen community. The project's goal is to promote a resilient, adaptive City in the face of a changing climate with greater risks from flooding. Explore the series of "StoryMaps" below:

Understanding Flood Risk in Goshen
Explore flood risks for a location of interest to you. Using data tools from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this story focuses on different methods of assessing flood risks for particular locations across Goshen. The story map provides a guided tour of the available data to provide essential context, but residents can directly access and explore the data here.

Learning from the Past: Historic Flooding in Goshen
Take a look at past flood events in Goshen's history. This story map came together with a lot of help from community members who took photos of flooding in 2018 and members of the Goshen Historical Society.

Goshen's USGS River Gauge
Learn how to monitor the height of the river and evaluate risks during a potential flood event using the United States Geological Survey (USGS) river gauge located at the Indiana Avenue Bridge. This story map guides you through how to use the tool and provides context for what different river heights mean for area businesses and homes.


Assessments

Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment for Stormwater

Also in response to flooding in 2018, the Goshen Stormwater Department partnered with the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments to undertake a guided vulnerability assessment for stormwater. Climate trends suggest greater risks from flooding in this region and the assessment evaluates a number of locations throughout Goshen for their sensitivity to climatic changes and ability to adapt to the coming changes. The assessment concludes with a vulnerability matrix for selected Goshen areas and makes some recommendations to continue investigating and addressing identified vulnerabilities.

Check out the full plan at the link above (coming soon). Direct questions about the Assessment to Goshen's Stormwater Department stormwater@goshencity.com 


Other Tools

Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service - See the National Weather Service's river height forecasts as adverse weather approaches the City. Then use the River Gauge story map above to understand what sections of our City along the Elkhart River might experience flooding at the predicted river crest. 

Flood Factor - Use Flood Factor's address lookup tool to view estimated flood risks for your home or business. This robust tool has additional resources that estimate the cost of damage at different flood heights and offer possible floodproofing solutions to begin protecting yourself against flooding. The tool runs models based on updated methodologies that in some cases go beyond the capabilities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) floodplain maps. City staff has found that the tool's flood predictions in some cases more closely reflect the flooding seen during Goshen's historic 2018 flood.

U.S. EPA Flooded Homes Cleanup Guidance - Floods are the most common type of natural disaster affecting people across the United States and impacted property owners need to know how to effectively and safely clean up after the floodwaters recede. To help with this the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created a website with guidance on the proper steps to take. The topics include: Coming Home, Doing it Yourself, Protecting Your Health, and Additional Resources & Help. If you or a loved one are impacted by a flood this website will be a valuable tool. 

Survey

Please share your thoughts on the drafted plan by taking the survey below. If you have multiple questions or areas of concern, please submit another survey.