LEBANON, Ind. — The City of Lebanon says it's close to finding a new source for water after running out for any future homes or businesses.
It's a story 13News has been following closely.
You may remember there's plenty of water for people who already live and work there, but Lebanon stopped new construction projects in May because there wasn't enough to promise to anyone else. That's a problem for any city, but especially a fast-growing community in a fast-growing county.
And it also impacts the massive LEAP district the state spent more than $100 million to buy and develop.
Mayor Matt Gentry said local leaders were alerted to the need for additional water about 20 years ago. He said leaders more recently saw the LEAP district as a way to partner with the state to pay for a solution rather than invest alone and leave ratepayers with significantly higher water bills. He also added other communities should be watching how the situation plays out in his community.
13News reported more than a year ago that state economic development officials were looking into a plan to build a pipeline that would bring water from an underground aquifer in Tippecanoe County down to Lebanon to provide water for the LEAP district. But when Tippecanoe County citizens and community leaders objected – concerned about their own water supply needs – the plan was put on pause until a state study could be finished.
On Wednesday, 13News learned about a new development in this story. Our newsgathering partners at the Lebanon Reporter are reporting the city could have a solution in the next eight weeks.
Gentry told the newspaper, after negotiations with central Indiana utility companies, they hope to have a path forward by the end of summer.
Gentry added it's an amount of water that could supply industrial and residential growth, including the LEAP research and innovation district.