INDIANAPOLIS — Lebanon Utilities confirms it is surveying areas for a pipeline that would pump wastewater from Lebanon into the Eagle Creek Reservoir, a move the Eagle Creek Advisory Committee says could have major impacts on the ecosystem.
During a meeting with Citizens, the company that will supply water for the LEAP project, the Eagle Creek Advisory Committee said they received some new information.
"The daily water use in the new complex would only be 25 million gallons, which is obviously considerably less than what had been publicly shared," Lou Ann Baker with the Eagle Creek Advisory Committee said.
While the water intake would be less, the committee has a new concern: wastewater being pumped into Eagle Creek Reservoir.
Lebanon Utilities chose not to do an on-camera interview, but the company spoke with WRTV over the phone. They said they are in the survey phase—and hope to have a 50% design plan for the pipeline by March of 2026.
But wastewater coming into Eagle Creek is something park advocates have questions about.
"We have concerns for the birds, the aquatic life and the wildlife," Baker said. "The health of the reservoir... the changing levels. A number of things that again we don't know answers to because we don't yet have enough information."
That lack of transparency is something lawmakers who represent the area hope to remedy.
"This is taxpayer dollars, and you, as the taxpayers, deserve to know all of the information that is out there,” State Sen. J.D. Ford (D) Indianapolis said. “I just feel like there is a lot of secrecy, there isn't a lot of transparency. I feel like it's being rushed through.”
One thing the Eagle Creek Advisory Committee and Senator Ford would like to see is a water study done on the reservoir. Citizens say they are open to doing that, but that they would need permission from the city of Indianapolis.
When WRTV reached out to the city to see if they would be open to a water study, they sent us the following statement:
“The City of Indianapolis supports any effort to examine impacts at Eagle Creek Reservoir, including a water study. Eagle Creek Reservoir and Eagle Creek Park are among some of our city’s most beloved natural assets and it is important that we do our due diligence to make sure any and all future water usage is done mindfully.”
Lebanon Utilities says they are committed to transparency, and they plan on holding a town hall for residents to ask questions. A date has not been set for that meeting.
