Will new water studies influence public opinion on LEAP pipeline? Indiana officials hope for ‘yes’ • Indiana Capital Chronicle
Ongoing studies of waterways in north-central Indiana should soon provide information on water demand and supply in each of the 28 counties bordering the headwaters of the Wabash River. And state and local officials expressed hope that new science will go a step further and weaken public skepticism about a hotly debated plan to pipe water from an aquifer in Tippecanoe County to a massive industrial site in Boone County.
“Why are regional water studies so important? … Transparency, communication, policy are the three reasons,” said Scott Walker, president of Greater Lafayette Commerce, during a panel discussion at the 2024 Indiana Water Summit in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
The project, called the Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace (LEAP) Research and Innovation District along Interstate 65, promoted by Indiana State Economic Development officials, could involve building a 50-mile pipeline that could transport up to 100 million gallons of water a day.
Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co. is planning a $3.7 billion facility at the LEAP site; the state is also competing for a water-guzzling $50 billion semiconductor plant and other large facilities. But Boone County alone doesn’t have enough water to supply the campus.
Currently, work on the pipeline is on hold while government agencies examine its feasibility and potential impacts on the regional water supply.
Optimism among officials
Although initial results from a multi-phase study funded by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. showed “abundant” water availability, was criticized for its independence.
At the direction of Governor Eric Holcomb, the Indiana Finance Authority has since assumed control a more comprehensive water study that is still ongoing. First study results A study released in June concluded that water withdrawals in the north-central region of the state have declined – not increased – over the past two decades. A full analysis is expected before December, according to IFA officials.
“I think the studies will (hopefully) inform the public. What we want to make clear to the public is that we need to use science to understand this issue and base our judgments on that. Not on what we’ve read – but on reactions to what we’ve read or heard,” Walker said. “We hope that with the release of the Wabash water studies, the public’s understanding will increase.”
“Hopefully we will see the public start to think a little more sensibly about current events,” he continued.
The IEDC’s pipeline proposal has been causing controversy over regional water rights for nearly two years.
Indiana Finance Authority expands water study to include LEAP review
Walker noted that initial plans for the project were unclear and leaked information led to negative reactions from Tippecanoe residents.
A backlash against the pipeline quickly emerged in 2022 and 2023. Numerous public forums have attracted hundreds of local residents. “Save Our Water” signs have become a common sight in the Lafayette region.
“A lot of people were concerned, and it created a lot of community solidarity – a lot of people came out,” Walker said.
However, he stressed that the mood among the population began to change after Holcomb called on the IFA to intervene.
“We hoped this approach would help us better plan for the future,” Walker added.
Studies are still ongoing
Since 2017, IFA has been conducting regional water studies across the state. The data collected is intended to help improve coordination among utilities, plan infrastructure needs and ensure sustainable future water planning, said Jim McGoff, IFA’s chief operating officer and director of environmental programs.
The north-central Indiana study will be IFA’s fourth.
“There may be some preconceived ideas about water availability and use … but we actually need to have experts look at this,” said McGoff, who also spoke at the summit.
According to the agency, IFA’s water studies generally examine current and future water demand and availability. The water demand analysis focuses primarily on water use in different sectors: public utilities, industry, irrigation/agriculture, energy and domestic self-supply.
IFA representatives said that special attention will be paid to forecasting future water demand in the public water supply sector. This is done by forecasting population and economic variables, as well as by taking into account factors that cause peak water demand, such as climate.
In contrast, predicting water availability uses a “water budget framework” that includes surface water – such as rivers and lakes – and groundwater – such as aquifers and groundwater recharge. The equation also takes into account future estimates of human and ecosystem needs, McGoff said.
Sally Letsinger, a scientist at Indiana University and a member of the advisory board for the water studies, said researchers will examine 50-year projections of water demand and availability. Projections will not only look at past water use, she said. Rather, projections will be modeled using demand expectations that take climate change into account.
“It’s really important to get regional stakeholders involved… they know their own regions best,” Letsinger said, noting that across Indiana, “land use is different. Culture is different. Even the way farmers tend their fields – and that impacts water.”
“We need to leverage this knowledge base,” she continued.
Funding for the water studies conducted by IFA comes primarily from federal grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, McGoff said. On average, each study costs between $700,000 and $800,000.
More options on the horizon
Jeff Willman, vice president of water operations at Citizens Energy Group, also said utilities are actively involved in long-term water supply planning and are trying to play a role in it.
In addition to a possible Wabash pipeline, a separate project proposal in the works could involve Citizens Energy tapping into water systems in Westfield and Whitestown to sell the resource to Lebanon Utilities and development in Boone County, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. reported last week.
“We really have everything we need for the next 100 years in this region within 25 miles (of downtown Indianapolis),” he said, referring to water resources. “We’re confident we can develop systems for up to 1,200 million gallons per day, but that will require rigorous, careful planning.”
Willman also said that as consumers conserve water more, opportunities to recycle excess clean water and use it to cool Indiana’s many new data centers will also improve.
Looking to the future, Walker said West Lafayette officials are increasingly focused on contributing to proposed national water management plan.
“We know this is an incredible, critical resource,” Walker said. “What is the water policy for the state and how do we help our legislators implement that?”
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