Hoosiers hope lawmakers will take time to enact water protection

A bill under consideration in the Senate Environmental Affairs Committee would change the definition of toxic PFAS chemicals in Indiana, allowing their continued use by manufacturers. (Getty Images)

Water is very much on Hoosiers’ minds. From the unpopular legislation from four years ago that stripped our critical wetlands of protection to the 2023 announcement of a proposed pipeline carrying water 35 miles from Tippecanoe County to the LEAP development in Lebanon, it’s top of mind for many.

Hoosiers overwhelmingly support protecting Indiana’s water supply and ensuring it’s available to everyone well into the future, according to a recent survey commissioned by The Nature Conservancy. A full 95% of Hoosiers agree that water is a public resource that should be protected. 

Around 80% believe Indiana should have a comprehensive policy to manage its water resources, and 81% said protecting Indiana’s water and other natural resources is “important to (their) voting decisions in state elections.” 

Bellwether Research surveyed 800 registered voters in Indiana in mid-November. Forty percent said they were Republican and 22% Democrat, while the rest said they were independent. The survey has a 3% margin of error.

This is important because it represents voters across the spectrum and provides a clear window into Hoosiers’ thinking about water and natural resources. This is especially significant as the General Assembly convenes, and water is an issue on the minds of legislators. 

Several water-related bills have been filed and more are expected. They run the gamut from protecting withdrawals to establishing new regulations. The ideas are flowing and the thirst for action is great, but TNC counsels patience and a different approach.

Circumstances provide a rare opportunity. With few existing regulations, there’s a clean slate from which legislators can work. The pipeline idea, thankfully, is dead. We now have a chance to take the time necessary to fully understand Indiana’s water—how much is available, how clean it is and the locations that will need more in the future.

It’s the ideal time for the Braun administration and legislators to appoint a wide-ranging commission — representing all the diverse needs of Hoosiers — to spend the next two years understanding our water resources and how best to protect them for the future. The charge should include a comprehensive agenda of policies and legislation to ensure our future is rich with abundant clean water for everyone.

This is a reasonable approach, like what Ohio has done in recent years. The H2Ohio program was enacted after study and has since spent billions of dollars on the state’s water future. Texas likewise just approved more than $2 billion for new water projects in water districts across that state. Texas first enacted its comprehensive water program in 1957.  

Indiana would be wise to take the time to learn from Texas and others how to manage our most precious resource, but we still need more information. The Indiana Finance Authority recently released its latest regional water study, this one for north-central Indiana, which found there’s plenty of water, but it’s not distributed evenly across the area. 

Hoosiers also recognize wetlands play an important role in our water system. Seventy-three percent said they support restoring protections for wetlands that were repealed by the General Assembly in 2021, including 48% who strongly support it. And 83% support incentives for residential and commercial developers who protect wetlands as part of their planned developments.

This is good news, but there are large portions of the state that still need similar study, and this proposal would allow time for that to happen. 

Water is different from any other legislative initiative. It’s impossible to live without adequate, clean water. Lawmakers must spend the necessary time and resources to get this right. Our future depends on it.