BOONE COUNTY, Indiana (DLC Media) – The Grass Roots Organization, Stop the Water Steal, is working to determine how a project for Boone County’s economic district is affecting the Wabash Valley including the River, the Wabash Alluvial Aquifer, and the Teays Aquifer. This study was provoked by a report that as much as 100 million gallons of water are being taken out of these areas and piped into Boone County daily.

At this time, the Grass Roots organization and state legislatures are working to limit the extractions that are taking place each day. Senator Ron Alting (R-Dis. 22), Senator Spencer Deery (R-Dis. 23), Representative Sheila Klinker, Representative Chris Campbell, and Representative Sharon Negele have all pledged to create legislation that will relate how much water can be taken from one region’s aquifer.

Republican Senator Deery stated, “I have worked to convey the level of concern felt by communities along the Wabash River to state officials and called for significant steps to ensure residents have reliable access to water.”

The LEAP (Limitless Exploration/Advanced Pace) Innovation and Research District was aided by Governor Eric Holcomb as well as Eli Lilly and Company. This project is set to create hundreds of jobs and cost billions of dollars. Governor Holcomb has appointed the Indiana Finance Authority to oversee the INTERA water supply study to determine the severity of the water extraction and how this will hurt the Wabash Valley. Locally, residents have pushed back against the LEAP project because of the possible repercussions of removing the significant amount of water that is being taken each day.

The founder of the Grass Roots organization is Professor David Sanders, and his concerns are not only with the Lafayette area but also the rest of the state.

“There are parts of the Wabash near Lafayette where there are sandbars. You can practically walk across the river now. This is a regional issue. The Wabash and it’s environment affects many counties and the rest of the state,” Sanders Said.

If you would like to Hear Professors Sanders Interview with Dave Crooks, it is available on all DLC station websites under the Policy and Politics tab.