Parks and Recreation Committee Meeting on Eagle Creek Reservoir LEAP Water Project - February 5, 2026
Parks and Recreation Committee Meeting on Eagle Creek Reservoir LEAP Water Project - February 5, 2026
The Indianapolis City-County Council Parks and Recreation Committee held an informational meeting on February 5, 2026, starting at 5:30 PM, to discuss the Eagle Creek Reservoir LEAP Water Project. The meeting featured presentations from the Eagle Creek Park Foundation Advisory Committee, the Hoosier Environmental Council, Citizens Energy Group, and Lebanon Utilities, followed by public comments. No votes were taken, but several concerns and recommendations were raised.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Multiple speakers expressed strong opposition to the project, emphasizing the ecological and recreational importance of Eagle Creek Reservoir and its role as a drinking water source.
- Rachel Wolverton, who started a petition with over 15,000 signatures, read citizen comments highlighting fears about water contamination, harm to wildlife, and distrust of regulators.
- William Bowler questioned why Indianapolis resources are being used to support the LEAP district without Indianapolis jobs.
- Larry Kane, a former IDEM regulator, recommended that LEAP wastewater be treated to a level allowing on-site reuse to spare Eagle Creek from potential mishaps.
- Greg Kafouris, an environmental attorney, noted the unknown composition of industrial discharges and criticized the anti-degradation rule for having a loophole for economic development.
- Several residents shared personal connections to the park and expressed that they are considering leaving Indianapolis if the project proceeds.
Discussion Items
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Eagle Creek Park Foundation Advisory Committee (Luann Baker and Martin Risch):
- Presented concerns about transparency, noting that the public learned of the project only through vague easement notices and lacked prior outreach from Citizens Energy Group.
- Highlighted that 25 million gallons per day (MGD) of water will be piped north to Lebanon, with 1–3 MGD from Eagle Creek Reservoir, while 15–25 MGD of treated wastewater would be discharged into the reservoir.
- Martin Risch, a retired hydrologist, discussed the sensitivity of the proposed outfall location near the reservoir's north end, which supports mudflats essential for migratory birds. He calculated that discharging 15 MGD at 1 mg/L phosphorus would add 45,689 pounds of phosphorus per year, exacerbating harmful algal blooms.
- Recommended moving the outfall, implementing water reuse at LEAP, limiting additional withdrawals from Eagle Creek, and including public notice provisions in the new contract with the city.
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Hoosier Environmental Council (Toby Days):
- Emphasized the lack of transparency compared to Citizens Energy's past public outreach for rate increases.
- Stated that the project sets a precedent for water management in Indiana, and that the required environmental studies have not been comprehensive.
- Echoed concerns about unregulated contaminants (pharmaceuticals, microplastics), phosphorus loading, and potential downstream flooding due to increased discharge.
- Called for a third-party environmental assessment.
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Citizens Energy Group (Bridget O'Connor and Steve Barraby):
- Explained that the water supply program is financed by the state (up to $700M) with no cost to Citizens' ratepayers. The plan includes expanding the TW Moses plant from 24 to 30 MGD and White River North from 34 to 59 MGD.
- Stated that the 25 MGD maximum is a contractual cap, and that the reservoir level will be maintained at existing targets (791 ft summer, 788.5 ft winter) regardless of increased inflows.
- Noted that reservoir inflows have increased 50% in the last 25 years due to upstream development, and that the proposed additional withdrawals are modest relative to total flow.
- Committed to considering forest mitigation for pipeline easements and to ongoing public outreach, including office hours at the Pike Township library.
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Lebanon Utilities (Ed Baskell and Dr. Bob Holden):
- Described the wastewater treatment plant expansion to ultimately 20 MGD with biological nutrient removal, chemical phosphorus removal, and tertiary filtration.
- Explained that the final outfall location has not been determined; the proposed site was chosen to receive the most stringent permit limits. A waste load allocation and anti-degradation demonstration are pending.
- Stated that all industrial users must meet pretreatment standards, with IDEM issuing permits and Lebanon Utilities having the authority to stop noncompliant discharges.
- Provided contact information for public inquiries (emails and websites).
Key Outcomes
- The committee took no formal action; the session was informational.
- Multiple committee members expressed concerns about water quality, lack of independent studies, and the need for guardrails in the upcoming contract with the city (expiring July 1, 2026).
- Councilor Jessica McCormick requested an independent comprehensive study on potential impacts, including emerging contaminants.
- Councilor Josh Bain noted that the public has an opportunity to comment during IDEM's anti-degradation process.
- The next public meeting hosted by Citizens Energy Group and Lebanon Utilities is scheduled for Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at New Augusta Academy (doors open 6:30 PM, meeting at 7:00 PM).
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everybody. Welcome to the Parks and Recreation Committee meeting of the Indianapolis City County Council. It is February 5th, 5 30 p.m. We're going to start this evening's meeting with introductions of our counselor starting on our lower left, Councillor Dilk. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mike Dilk, District 24. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Josh Bain, District 21. Thank you, Mr. Chair Brian Delini, District 2. Thank you, Mr. Chair, Jesse Brown, District 13. Thank you, Chairman Jessica McCormick, District 16. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Counselor Jarrett Evans representing District 17. Thank you, Mr. Chair Frank Maskier, District 19. And thank you, Mr. Chairman John Barth, representing District 7. I'm a guest in the committee tonight. Thank you. And I'm Councillor Dan Boots, District 3, and I have the honor of chairing this committee. Tonight we're going to talk about the Eagle Creek Reservoir Leap Water Project. We're here for informational purposes. We're going to have public comment at the end. All questions come to me. The public does not ask questions of the presenters. And we'll proceed that way. We're going to run a civil meeting. Please, no talking or loud calls from the audience to disrupt our meeting. You're welcome to have signs, but please keep anything vocal to a minimum. We're going to start this evening with a presentation from the Eagle Creek Park Foundation Advisory Committee. And I see Ms. Luann Baker and Martin Risch here this evening. The floor is yours. Thank you, Councillor Boots. Good evening, members of the committee. We appreciate the opportunity to chat with you this evening. It is a tremendous opportunity that this is the first public discussion of this topic for water and wastewater in Marion County. And that's huge. This project has been underway for a very long time. A number of people have found out about it fairly recently within the last couple of months, ourselves included. And I know everyone has been working really hard to learn what we can wherever we can from whomever we can to try to be as informed as we'd like to be on a very important topic. A little bit about who we are as the advisory committee. We are the oldest friends group in Indy Parks. We were established in 1972, and the purpose of our group was to advise the city on changes and modifications to the park. Those have been long-term in scope in nature. It may be something like they're adding new docks at RICS.
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