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Noon Edition

Water Access, Infrastructure In Indiana

Looking eastward over Lake Monroe southeast of Bloomington. (Wikimedia Commons)

Noon Edition airs Fridays at noon on WFIU.

Much of Indiana's infrastructure for the delivery of clean water dates back to just after World War II.

As a result, communities around the state face a looming problem with repairing and replacing old pipes and facilities -- and it's going to be costly.

A 2016 report from the Indiana Finance Authority indicates that the state's water infrastructure needs immediate repairs to the the tune of $2.3 billion.

After the initial cost, the IFA estimates that $815 million needs to be spent annually to maintain that infrastructure.

This week on Noon Edition, we discuss Indiana's aging water infrastructure and Hoosiers' access to clean water.

Guests

​Jack Wittman, Vice President and Principal Geoscientist with INTERA

Sherry Mitchell-Bruker, Hydrologist and founder of Friends of Lake Monroe

Connie Stevens, Executive Director for the Alliance of Indiana Rural Water

State Senator Susan Glick, Co-Chair of Indiana's Water Infrastructure Task Force

Conversation

State Senator Susan Glick says that her task force reflects the state's interest in safeguarding the future of its water.

"We don't want to find ourselves like some of the communities around the nation who have either had polluted situations with their water supply or they just didn't pay attention until they either run out or the infrastructure deteriorated to the point where it was no longer usable," Glick says.

Connie Stevens says it’s difficult to provide water services to Hoosiers in more rural areas.

"There's still a lot of need out there and I know in the southern part down here they're still hauling water in places and the water utilities down here want to provide water service to them but it's not affordable," Stevens says. "There's lots of pictures out there of people gathering and hauling water in the back of their minivan for the family."

Sherry Mitchell-Bruker says we need to change the way we think about our water resources.

"I think that it is dangerous to think that we can just move to the next water source, make that water source depleted or dirty, and then move on to the next area," Mitchell-Bruker says. "When we make decisions and do planning we need to take into consideration what the long term effects are and think about how we can modify behaviors to accommodate all the uses that are out there."

Jack Wittman says that we need to get a better handle on data regarding our water systems and environments and use that data to rethink our priorities.

"We can't just keep growing everywhere and keep handing the problem to the next area or maybe getting water from a distant place and bringing it across to a new place," Wittman says. "We really have to think about how much is here to work with. What do we care about? The ecosystems and the lakes and all the other things that need water as well."

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