New bills would create a permitting process for water withdrawals, in response to state’s pipeline proposal

New legislation filed this week would require a permitting process for large water withdrawals.

The legislation comes after the state announced it was looking into piping tens of millions of gallons of water from Tippecanoe County to an industrial project in Lebanon.

Tippecanoe County officials have been worried that water withdrawals could harm the region - passing an ordinance last year to block the state’s proposed pipeline. Commissioners behind that ban say they want the legislature to pass protections during the current session.

Republican State Senator Spencer Deery represents part of Tippecanoe County and filed the Senate bill - which requires withdrawals of over ten million gallons per day go through a permitting process.

“All of that would be leading towards answering the question - does that make sense for the environmental, health, and just general well-being of the communities involved?” Deery said.

Mirror versions of the measure have been filed in both the House and Senate.

Specifically, the bill would require that any large withdrawals for a commercial or industrial purpose would have to be studied - with notice of a permit application going to regional officials.

Any feasibility study would look at whether large withdrawals will “fulfill the health, economic, environmental, and other needs of present and future generations of Indiana citizens.”

The measure would also allow for maximum limits to be placed on withdrawals.

In addition to protecting smaller water users - such as residential wells, Deery said the legislation would also protect some large water users.

“There’s farmers that have spent thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars over generations to be able to save and invest in wells,” he said. “...this would for the first time ever give them some protections against large water users. That’s not in Indiana code and it needs to be.”

Deery said he’s hopeful the legislation will move forward. “I have high expectations that we are going to have hearings in at least the House and or Senate,” he said.

The bill has not yet been assigned to a committee.