Bloomington council tables measure opposing Boone Co. LEAP pipeline
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The Bloomington City Council tabled a measure Wednesday night that would have notified the state that the city disagrees with a plan to divert significant water draws from Wabash River aquifers to the LEAP Innovation and Research District in Boone County.
The resolution will be considered again March 27.
While the bill’s author and co-sponsor wanted to move forward with urgency, other council members, Mayor Kerry Thomson, and economic development stakeholders asked to wait to vote on the resolution until the body heard from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. Potential amendments were also mentioned including language tweaks and a switch to focus on advocating for water policy.
Though Bloomington is nearly 100 miles away from the district, the resolution was drafted to show solidarity with communities expected to be impacted. Councilmember Andy Ruff, the author, said the move also would also urge state lawmakers to develop “critically needed” water quantity policy to protect communities.
The IEDC plan seeks to direct as much as 100 million gallons of water a day to the 10,000-acre LEAP District about 35 miles away. However, Gov. Eric Holcomb and state officials halted the plan until the Indiana Finance Authority completes a comprehensive water study. LEAP stands for Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace.
In 2006, Monroe County faced a water diversion proposal for a 60-mile pipeline routing up to 90 million gallons of water a day from the county’s reservoir to Indianapolis—which would have potentially disrupted Bloomington’s water supply. That project fell through after then-Gov. Mitch Daniels called it a “nonstarter.”
Attica, Lafayette, West Lafayette, Monticello and several county councils have passed similar resolutions sounding their displeasure at the project’s pipeline plan.
Attica Mayor Larry Grant and West Lafayette council member David Sanders, author of a similar resolution and founder of protest group Stop the Water Steal, spoke at the meeting about the background of the issue and their appreciation for the Bloomington resolution.