Citizens Action Coalition (CAC) filed comments earlier this week opposing Citizens’ proposal to allocate 25 million galls of water per day to Lebanon Utilities to supply the LEAP district.
LEAP is a more than 9,000-acre sustainable community offering advanced manufacturing, mixed use and corporate campus space on I-65’s Hard Tech Corridor.
The proposal would be funded up to $700 million from the Indiana Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which was originally slated to improve drinking water quality, CAC said in a statement.
New water supply deal: Citizens Water in talks with Lebanon Utilities – Indianapolis Recorder
“This proposal boils down to diverting public funds meant to help provide clean drinking water for people so a few companies looking to build factories in a relative water desert can financially benefit,” CAC said in a press release. “The state and federal government should use this funding instead to improve water quality for residents and improve utility affordability for existing customers. It is grossly inappropriate to use these funds for an economic development project that is rapidly turning into a financial boondoggle.”
CAC alleges that Citizens has not been transparent about the financial or environmental impacts of the proposal.
According to their statements, Citizens has provided very little information on where the additional 25 million gallons of water would be coming from and how the diversion of water would affect Indianapolis’ drinking water resources.
In a previous statement, Citizens CEO Jeffrey Harrison said, “The 25 MGD being proposed for Lebanon would not impact the ability of the utility company to serve existing customers in Marion County, Hamilton County or other regional wholesale customers, even in times of drought.”
This is an ongoing story.
This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Indianapolis African-American Quality of Life Initiative, empowering our community with essential health insights. https://iaaqli.org/
Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
