A nonpartisan oversight committee unveils a new website that brings a fair and balanced voice to conversations about the Greater Lafayette Region’s water and economic future. The site, GLRWSC.com, was developed by the Greater Lafayette Region Water Stewardship Committee, which includes local government and business leaders.
“The idea that the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) was looking into whether it might be able to withdrawal up to 100 million gallons per day out of the Wabash River alluvial aquifer system here in Tippecanoe County raised immediate concern,” shared Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski. “Once we learned, in early 2023, of the IEDC’s possible plan to pipe that water 40 miles south to LEAP Lebanon, we immediately began pushing for transparency and clarity.”
LEAP, which stands for Limitless Exploration/Advance Pace, is an IEDC program designed to make the state more competitive for larger-scale economic development opportunities. LEAP Lebanon is the program’s first proposed mega-site. The IEDC has already purchased land and has a master plan for the approximately nine-thousand-acre innovation district. Despite significant water and other utility challenges, the quasi-governmental agency, which is focused on economic development, immediately began marketing the site to company prospects.
“Understandably, when the public learned of plans to move that much water from our watershed to another region of the state without significant study to determine its potential long-term impacts on our region’s businesses and homeowners, it caused an outcry,” said Tippecanoe County Commission President Tom Murtaugh. “Our group, which includes the local mayors, commissioners, and leaders from Greater Lafayette Commerce, wanted to develop a resource for good information about what was happening.”
Formed in 2023, the Water Stewardship Committee (WSC) takes a protective stance regarding the potential for large-scale water withdrawals. It continues advocating for the community’s water resources, ensuring sustainable growth and prosperity for all. “The group recognizes that it is critical for Greater Lafayette—one of the fastest-growing regions in Indiana—to strike a balance between ecological integrity and economic prosperity when making decisions that impact the community’s future,” said West Lafayette Mayor Erin Easter.
Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb halted the IEDC’s Intera test-well study and asked the Indiana Finance
Authority (IFA) to investigate the long-term impacts of such transfers through its regional water studies. As future projects and policies that could impact local water resources and economic opportunities are proposed, the Greater Lafayette Region Water Stewardship Committee will continue to listen to community members’ perspectives, consider the long-term impacts of water projects, and advocate for research-informed decision-making.
Download a PDF version of this press release here.
For more information or help with media interviews contact
Paul Moses at 765-742-4044 or pmoses@greaterlafayettecommerce.com