The Gravel Pit at Potter’s Bridge Risks Drinking Water Contamination
Gravel pits disrupt the movement of water above and below ground (source), impacting natural water recharge and affecting the quality of drinking water. Several utility-run drinking water sources for Hamilton County could be impacted by the gravel pit in Noblesville.
We’ll repeat: This is our county’s drinking water, not a “not in my backyard” concern.
We had a geology agency review the petitioner’s documents. Here’s what they found.
Any Risk to our Drinking Water is Unacceptable
Risk Matrix from the Intera Report
Intera asserts in their 80-page Hydrogeologic Assessment, that there is risk of contamination to county drinking water wells BOTH during (1) the extraction of sand and gravel (digging), and (2) afterwards once the pit would be a maintained as a lake.
What’s the risk?
If a monitoring system IS put into place, the likelihood of contamination is Low to Medium. The potential impact is Low.
If a monitoring system is NOT put into place, the likelihood of contamination is Low to Medium. The potential impact is Medium to High.
A monitoring system is not mentioned in Mr. Beaver/Hamilton County Parks application or narrative.
Beaver Gravel only just mentioned hiring a third-party to monitor water after Fox59 interviewed us about our concerns. No other details were provided.
Indiana American Water’s latest neutral statement carefully places any future blame on our local government.
We can’t help but draw the conclusion that a system has not been planned for or adequately prioritized.
But if a system is put in place, who pays for it? The utility company, and therefore the taxpayers? The government? Mr. Beaver? Hamilton County Parks?
What’s the bottom line?
Even in the best case scenario, low risk is not no risk.
And ANY RISK to our county’s drinking water is UNACCEPTABLE.
Historical timeline on this specific issue:
Indiana American Water outright opposed it in the first project filing (2020)
Mr. Beaver withdrew his project (2020)
Mr. Beaver contracted with Intera to conduct a hydrogeologic assessment (2021)
Indiana American Water is now “neutral,” even though the proposal still presents a risk to Hamilton County’s drinking water (March 2022)
Mr. Beaver re-filed with the city (March 2022)
Related:
Hamilton County is Focused on Long-Term Water Supply
Hamilton County commissioned a $2.1 million water study as our county’s water supply and distribution systems have had to “stretch to keep up” with the county’s growth. This is the first such study to be commissioned by a county in Indiana.
Annual updates will be provided (first one is due August 2022), and the study will examine…
aquifer and surface water levels and quality to better define seasonal variations and identify potential conflicts in use
discover ways to improve long-term water availability
improve efficiency and expand aquifer yield for drinking water use
consider alternative engineering designs for recharging the aquifers