Stop the Water Steal - guest blog from Sandra Alvillar

Stop The Water Steal is a nonpartisan community group created to protect the Wabash River, Teays Aquifer, and regional ecosystems for Wabash regional residents, businesses, and future generations. We will advocate for truly independent research to determine the potential impact the LEAP-Lebanon water pipeline could have on our environment and livelihood, share these findings with the public, then proceed to collaborate with legislators to create proactive and responsible water protection legislation for Tippecanoe County.

LEAP Lebanon Water Pipeline Project Backstory:

The Indianapolis area, including Lebanon, is growing and forecast to run out of excess water to support their economic and population growth in the next ~15 years during periods of moderate drought. They are already instituting many water saving measures including the Geist Reservoir, Eagle Creek Reservoir, Morse Reservoir, and Citizens Reservoir, among others, but there simply isn’t enough water flowing into the area to meet this demand. The IEDC and Indiana Finance Authority, working in partnership with the LEAP Lebanon Development Project, are planning on a water pipeline to transport up to 100 million gallons/day of water from the Teays Aquifer in Lafayette to the Lebanon and Indianapolis areas that'll cost between $2 BILLION dollars as a solution, as the Teays Aquifer is one of the most significant sources of water in Indiana. Unfortunately, since we are just beginning to experience water scarcity in Indiana, we don’t yet have the water rights legislation in place to curb this water steal.

Learn about the stories of those directly affected by the proposed LEAP pipeline here: https://stopthewatersteal.org/your-stories

What can you do to stop the water steal? 

  • Write to your legislators (see our website (https://stopthewatersteal.org/about) for a link to find your representatives' contact information) and voice your opposition to the LEAP pipeline
  • Organize community letter writing events
  • Share your thoughts and updates on your social media 
  • Invite your friends, family, and neighbors to community events to learn about what we are doing to stop this project 
  • Buy Stop The Water Steal signs for your front yards to show your opposition (https://stopthewatersteal.org/merch)
  • Show up at the Statehouse to show your opposition of the pipeline
  • Volunteer with Stop The Water Steal.


To keep in touch with our work or if you’re interested in helping, follow us on social media facebook.com/stopthewatersteal
instagram.com/stopthewtrsteal 
twitter.com/StopTheWtrSteal
nextdoor.com/pages/stop-the-water-steal-slinger-wi
and our website: https://stopthewatersteal.org/ or email info@stopthewatersteal.org

Sandra Alvillar - President, Stop the Water Steal


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