Will new water studies sway public opinion around a LEAP pipeline? Indiana officials hope ‘yes’

Ongoing studies of north central Indiana’s waterways are soon expected to shed light on water demand and supply in each of the 28 counties that touches the headwaters of the Wabash River. And state and local officials said they hope new science goes a step further and improve public skepticism about a much-debated plan to pipe water from an aquifer in Tippecanoe County to a mammoth industrial campus in Boone County.

“Why are regional water studies so important? … Transparency, communication, policy are the three reasons,” said Scott Walker, president of the Greater Lafayette Commerce, speaking on a panel Wednesday at the 2024 Indiana Water Summit in Indianapolis. 

The project supported by Indiana economic development officials — dubbed the Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace (LEAP) Research and Innovation District, along Interstate 65 — could bring construction of a pipeline that stretches 50 miles, carrying up to 100 million gallons of water daily.

Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Co. has planned a $3.7 billion facility at Lebanon LEAP; the state is also competing to attract a water-guzzling semiconductor manufacturing facility worth $50 billion and other large plants. But Boone County alone doesn’t have enough water to support the campus.

For now, action on the pipeline is on hold while state officials study its feasibility and potential impacts on regional water supplies. 

Optimism from officials

Although early results from one multi-phase study — funded by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. — showed “abundant” water availability, the analysis was criticized for its independence. 

At Gov. Eric Holcomb’s behest, the Indiana Finance Authority has since assumed control of a more comprehensive water study that’s still underway. Initial study results released in June concluded that water withdrawals in the state’s north-central region have dropped — not risen — over the last two decades. A complete analysis is expected before December, according to IFA officials.

“I think the studies are going to inform (the public), hopefully. What we’ve been trying to get out to the public is that we need to use science to understand this issue and base our judgements on that. Not on what we’ve read — reactions to what we’ve read or heard,” Walker said. “We’re hopeful that with the release of the Wabash water studies that we’ll see community understanding increase.”

“Hopefully what we’ll see is a return to a little more reasonableness in what the public thinks about what’s happening,” he continued.

The IEDC’s pipeline proposal has ignited controversy over regional water rights for nearly two years.

Walker noted that early plans about the project were unclear, and leaked information led residents in Tippecanoe to react negatively. 

In 2022 and 2023, momentum quickly moved against the pipeline. Numerous public forums have attracted hundreds of residents. “Save Our Water” yard signs have become a common site around the Lafayette region.

“A lot of people were concerned, and it united a lot in the community — a lot of people came out,” Walker said.

He emphasized, though, that community sentiment started to shift after Holcomb tapped the IFA to step in. 

“We were hopeful this approach would help us better plan out the future,” Walker added.

Studies still underway

Since 2017, the IFA has conducted regional water studies around the state. Data gathered is intended to help improve coordination between utilities, plan for 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 the IFA’s fourth.

“There might be some preconceived thoughts about availability and use of water … but we actually need to have professionals study it,” McGoff said, also speaking at the summit.

The IFA’s water studies generally look at current and future water demand and availability, according to the agency. The water-demand analysis primarily focuses on water use in a variety of sectors: public supply, industrial, irrigation/ agricultural, energy, and residential self-supplied use. 

IFA officials said particular attention is given to forecasting future water demand in the public water utility sector. That’s done by using projections of population and economic variables, as well as factoring in drivers of peak water demand, such as climate.

Forecasting around water availability, on the other hand, uses a “water-budget framework” that incorporates surface water — like rivers and lakes — and groundwater, like aquifers and recharge. The equation also accounts for future estimates of human and ecosystem needs, McGoff said.

Indiana University scientist Sally Letsinger, who serves on the advisory board for the water studies, said researchers are looking at 50-year projections for both demand and availability of water. Forecasts aren’t just related to previous water use, she said. Rather, projections are modeled using demand expectations that take climate change into account.

“It’s really critical regional stakeholders are involved … they’re the most knowledgeable about their own regions,” Letsinger said, pointing out that — across Indiana — “land use is different. Culture is different. Even the way farmers care for their fields — and that has an impact on water.”

“We need to tap into that knowledge base,” she continued. 

Funding for IFA-led water studies primarily comes from federal grants provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, McGoff noted. On average, each study costs between $700,000 and $800,000.

Other options on the horizon

Jeff Willman, vice president of water operations for Citizens Energy Group, additionally said utilities are actively involved in long-term water supply planning and are looking to play a role.

Apart from a possible Wabash pipeline, a separate project proposal in the works could see Citizens Energy tap into water systems in Westfield and Whitestown to sell the resource to Lebanon Utilities and development in Boone County, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported last week.

“We really have everything we need in this region for the next 100 years, within 25 miles of (downtown Indianapolis),” he said, referring to water resources. “We’re confident that we can develop systems up to 1,200 million gallons per day, but that requires consistent, diligent planning.”

Willman said, too, that with increased consumer conservation comes greater possibilities for excess clean water to be recycled and piped for cooling an onslaught of new data centers headed to Indiana.

Looking forward, Walker said West Lafayette officials are increasingly focused on contributing to a proposed statewide water management plan.  

“We know this is an incredible, critical resource,” Walker said. “What does water policy look like for the state, and how do we help our legislators get that done?”