Environment

The environment – arguably the county’s most valuable resource – is all around us. From our beautiful County Parks to the rolling fields of corn that line our county roads, there is truly something for every citizen to enjoy.

La Porte County is dedicated to preserving this natural beauty through the county recycling program and others. Here you can also learn about Indiana’s Earth Day activities, as well as the annual Indiana Environment Report. We invite you to explore the links of our Environment and find out how you can help in the effort, while enjoying yourself!

The uncommon beauty of our Indiana environment is one of our most valuable resources. From the bright colors of Indiana autumns to the majestic waves of Lake Michigan – from rolling fields of corn to wind-swept sand dunes – Indiana offers diverse landscapes for its citizens to enjoy.

La Porte County, in particular, is full of natural beauty. For this reason, the county holds as one of its top priorities the preservation and maintenance of the environment. With a variety of parks across the county and a fully operating Solid Waste District, we are able to offer our citizens a higher standard of living than would otherwise be possible.

We invite you to explore the links below to learn more.

La Porte County Solid Waste District
The Indiana Environmental Report
Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Earth Day Indiana
Hoosier Environmental Council
International Friendship Gardens
Fish Lake Conservancy District

The Solid Waste District of La Porte County was formed in 1991 to reconcile the abundance of materials entering the waste stream. In order to comply with and hoping to exceed the State of Indiana’s goals, a twenty year plan was formulated. The dynamics of this plan was designed to reduce the amount of solid waste incinerated and disposed of in the landfills by 40% before January 1, 1996 and 60% before January 1, 2001. The State’s mandates (House Enrolled Act 1240, HEA 1240 and Senate Enrolled Act 25, SEA 25) called for 35% and 50% respectively.

The District’s Plan was submitted in October 1992 and eventually met with the approval of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). In addition to the goals of reduction, the Plan called for provisions to assure the disposal capacity of the remaining solid wastes generated in the District for the next twenty years.

La Porte County Inland beaches are sampled on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Lake Michigan beaches are sampled on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the beach bathing season May through Aug.

Results are posted the following day by 11:00am on the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s website at www.extranet.idem.in.gov/beachguard/