IFA expands water study, says it’s not about LEAP District

INDIANAPOLIS — The spokesperson of the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA) warned us not to ‘leap’ to any conclusions.

Here’s why.

In a news release yesterday, the IFA announced it is expanding its current North Central Indiana Water Study. The research, which began late last year, aims to determine future water supply and demand for a thirteen-county area for the next 50 years.

The counties include Benton, Cass, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Howard, Montgomery, Parke, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Vermillion, Warren, and White.

To “produce a more comprehensive report of the current and future water availability and use” the IFA added 15 more counties to include the headwaters of the Wabash River.

The newly added counties are Allen, Boone, Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Huntington, Jay, Madison, Miami, Noble, Randolph, Vigo, Wabash, Wells, and Whitley.

Before it was expanded, the study was highly anticipated by those closely monitoring the water pipeline debate.

To accommodate possible high-volume water-consuming businesses located at its LEAP District industrial Park in Boone County, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation proposed a pipeline from Tippecanoe County.

An earlier water study commissioned by the IEDC involved test wells in western Tippecanoe County.

IFA spokesperson Stephanie McFarlane shot down any notion the agency’s study is to determine if there’s adequate water to pump tens of millions of gallons to the LEAP district.

McFarlane shared with FOX59 the following statement, “IFA is not conducting a study pertaining to the LEAP project. It is conducting a North Central Indiana Regional Water Study. It is one of a series of regional water studies the State has conducted. You can find each of those previous studies on the IFA website. This study has been in discussion for some time as the next logical step in the State’s series of regional studies.”

Boone and surrounding counties north of Indianapolis have been dealing with water shortages while they are simultaneously enjoying rapid population expansion.

But while IFA says its water study and LEAP are not connected, Governor Eric Holcomb did not explain in that way in December.

At the IEDC quarterly meeting, Holcomb said, “Specifically to the LEAP District, not one drip or drop of water will be piped until we know what volume is needed, not just for that region but for a greater region throughout Indiana. We’re taking stock of our inventory, if you will.”

The newly expanded water study data is expected in late Spring or early Summer. The final results are slated for this Fall.

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