LEBANON — Lebanon residents and Eagle Creek advocates expressed disappointment after the Lebanon City Council passed an ordinance creating a water agreement between the city and the LEAP Innovation District.
Advocates' main concern is that a portion of the ordinance, specifically section 9, would allow both parties to negotiate for more water in the future.
"We offered common-sense amendments like a public process. People had a lot of concern because this is allowing the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to change the water withdraw," Megan Anderson with Protect Pike Township said.
This comes as Citizens Energy is working to renegotiate its agreement with the City of Indianapolis to pull water out of Eagle Creek. Citizens Energy has stated publicly that it will provide 25 million gallons a day to Lebanon Utilities, nothing more than that.
Indianapolis City-County Councilor Dan Boots worries that Citizens Energy isn't being transparent with either city, due to this ordinance just passed by Lebanon Monday night.
"The MOU specifically says that IEDC may go back to CEG that they can ask for more water, but they have expressed to us that they will not do that ever," Boots said.
Residents want a say in any future decisions about water withdrawal and are calling for transparency from Citizens Energy Group.
In response to the vote, Protect Pike Township is hosting a Walk for Water on Saturday, March 14, at 10:30 a.m. Those in attendance will walk across the Eagle Creek Reservoir Bridge to advocate for protecting local waterways from the LEAP industrial site. For more information, click here.
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