INDIANAPOLIS — Finding water suitable for drinking will be a challenge for counties north and west of Indianapolis, a utility expert says.
Overall, more than 100 million gallons a day needs to be added to match growth in the region over the next 25 years. A third of that supply will be needed in Hamilton County, said Jeff Willman of the Central Indiana Drinking Water Collaborative.
"But there's a lot of significant growth in Boone County, Hendricks, Marion and Johnson county as well. So this is what's down the road for us all," Willman told the Indiana General Assembly's Interim Study Committee on Environmental Affairs.
But percentage-wise, Boone County takes the lead, projecting an 83 percent growth in water demand through 2040.
"It's a challenge because there's very little groundwater in Boone County," said Willman, who is vice president of Citizens Energy Group.
Madison County could expect a 33 percent growth in water demand and Hendricks County a 62 percent growth, compared to 9 percent in Marion County.
The collaborative is a coalition of 19 utilities serving the nine-county region around Indianapolis.
The need for growth, of course, means water rates could rise.
“The impact is so significant because water is a basic necessity of life,” said Kerwin Olsen, executive director of the Citizens Action Coalition. “We need to figure out ways to make sure that people can afford the water services and waste water services to make sure the most vulnerable people in our communities are healthy and safe.”
Currently, rates are not determined by individual household usage but are based on amounts from water meters for fixed rates.
“The more you use, the more you should pay,” Olsen told the committee. “If you’re going to make demands on the system, then you need to pay the price that comes with that.”
The need for drinking water is driven by residential development and available land use for water sources, Willman added.