Governor Braun can use his voice to call for a pause on the LEAP water project, as Lebanon Utilities and Citizens Energy continue advancing this project without environmental studies to demonstrate the safety of this plan for Eagle Creek which acts as a source for our drinking water supply.
In 2025, over 450 Central Indiana residents received letters from Citizens Energy Group demanding the sale of their easements or face eminent domain. Word began to spread that Citizens Energy Group (CEG) wanted to build pipelines and infrastructure to send 25 million gallons of water daily (mgd) from Eagle Creek and the water system that serves Marion and surrounding counties (Hamilton, Boone, Hendricks, Hancock, Morgan, Shelby) to the LEAP industrial site in Lebanon, IN. For perspective, that is roughly the same amount of water used daily by the city of Evansville, IN.
Since this time, we have learned that Lebanon Utilities is proposing to build a pipeline to return 100-200 million gallons of treated water each week to the north end of Eagle Creek, leading the Indiana Audubon to oppose the discharge plan which would dump treated effluent into the National Audubon Society-designated Important Bird Area where the mudflats provide critical habitat to migratory and native birds. Additionally, Eagle Creek is welcoming the return of a river otter demonstrating the success of conservation programs intended to protect and renew biodiversity at the park. If Lebanon Utilities discharges 200 million gallons of water a week into Eagle Creek, it would add as much as 76,000 pounds of phosphorus to our waterways. Phosphorus and nitrogen contribute to increased blue-green algae blooms which can harm our ecosystem, pets and people. Lebanon Utilities does not currently plan to install modern PFAS treatment systems.
For months, residents have been advocating for transparency, studies and safeguards for Eagle Creek and our water system. Those requests have largely been ignored by decision-makers. On March 9, the Lebanon City Council passed a water use agreement giving the Indiana Economic Development Corporation decision-making power regarding additional withdrawal for the LEAP project. Residents pleaded for a public process and a pause until the completion of studies regarding water withdrawal; those pleas were ignored by the Lebanon City Council.
This is inconsistent with CEG’s promises to Indianapolis city leaders that no additional water would be needed beyond 25 mgd. Now in March of 2026, residents near Eagle Creek are being approached to sell their easements for the discharge pipe to Eagle Creek.
To show that we are unified to protect our ecosystem and water, this weekend, about 300 Hoosiers — including members of the Indianapolis City-County Council — came together for the Walk for Water at Eagle Creek, calling for decision-makers to prioritize Eagle Creek and our drinking water.
We are calling for urgent action and a pause for study to protect Eagle Creek and our water. Decision-makers continue to force this project forward without the completion of an anti-degradation study to determine the impact on Eagle Creek, no publicly available comprehensive water quality study or bathymetric study to determine water levels. This is vitally important as Lebanon Utilities proposes discharging into our drinking water Reservoir which is relatively still. Even with the increase in water coming to this area, there are significant indications that pollutants would accumulate into this area for extended periods of time.
Now is the time to grow our movement and to ensure everyone impacted is aware and coming together to take action: send a message to Governor Braun now calling for a pause for study to protect Eagle Creek and our drinking water.
Background: The 9,000+ acre LEAP industrial site in Lebanon, IN has been mired in controversy since its inception and it needs more water for future tenants. Eli Lilly and the Meta Data Center Complex are the only known tenants at the site. You may remember that just a couple of years ago, plans to pull 100 million gallons of water each day for LEAP from the Wabash River area were abandoned following significant community push-back. Later, Citizens Energy Group reengaged a plan to provide 25 million gallons a day of water to the LEAP industrial site by 2031. The demand for water will only grow, with the Morgan County data center also needing millions of gallons of water a day, and several other data centers proposed in the area, careful analysis must be completed to determine water use.
Indianapolis city leaders were not notified about these plans. In a January 13, 2026 op-ed, Indianapolis City County Council members called for "transparency and meaningful public engagement before decisions are finalized, not after the fact." Council members note that "Indianapolis owns and maintains Eagle Creek Reservoir, and the agreement governing Citizens’ water withdrawals expires in July 2026. Lebanon Utilities and Citizens Energy Group continue to move forward these projects without meaningful engagement with the public and despite a lack of adequate analysis regarding the impacts of these plans.
