These five very small communities in northern Indiana have found a unique solution to the challenge of wellhead protection planning. They have joined forces and formed a united wellhead protection planning team. This cooperation has come about, at least in part, because they are all in close proximity to one another (often sharing boundary lines). Each owner or operator is serving on one wellhead protection planning team. The team is meeting monthly and the communities have discovered that working jointly to get their wellhead protection plans completed makes the job go much smoother.

The idea of co-operating with neighboring small communities came about when friends and neighbors, Ann Lucas, of the Sands Mobile Home Park, and Joe Cappuzzello, of Elmwood Mobile Home Park, were discussing what to do about Indiana’s wellhead protection rule. They both managed small mobile home parks and realized that they had to comply with the rule, but did not quite know how to begin. The idea emerged to invite other mobile home park operators, or apartment complex managers to get together and discuss ideas.

At a meeting in September of 1999 Sherri Winters, the Circuit Rider for Indiana Water and Wastewater Association (IWWA), and Barbara Cooper, Water Quality Education Specialist from Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service met with about 15 representatives from nearby small communities. This was the beginning of a good thing. According to Ann Lucas, "…we’re moving right along. Everyone’s been very helpful…."