TERRE HAUTE — Vigo County had an average daily use of 316.6 million gallons of water in 2012, according to a six-month study on water resources included in an economic development report released Friday by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
Energy production and mining consumed the largest quantities of water in 2012, accounting for 94.4 percent of usage, while public water supply accounted for 3.8 percent, with agricultural use at 1 percent and other uses at 0.7 percent, according to the report.
The largest user for energy is the Wabash River Generating Station, built between 1953 and 1968.
“After the usage of water for power, everything else just shrinks in comparison in the one-year pie chart of 2012,” Jack Wittman, hydrogeologist and groundwater scientist for Bloomington-based INTERA Geoscience & Engineering Solutions, said in a telephone interview Friday. “That is a big number, but not a big number for a power plant. With power plants of that era, that water is just heated up and sent right back into the river without much change. There is not much water removed or changed.”
Wittman wrote the report in conjunction with the state chamber’s water advisory council, whose members represent diverse interests from the Indiana Wildlife Federation to the steel industry.
“As power over the state changes from the current set of fuel to mixes of different fuels, the amount of water that we use is kinda going down per kilowatt hour across the state. When you shift from coal to natural gas in one place, you have just removed a bunch of water from the demand side,” Wittman said.
Duke Energy is slated to close at least three power units at the Wabash station in 2015, possibly converting one of the units to natural gas.
Before 1966, the Wabash River was the sole source of water treated and distributed in Terre Haute by Indiana American Water Co., said Joe Loughmiller, spokesman for the company.
From 1966 to 1991, the Wabash provided about two-thirds of the water treated by Indiana American. However, with the installation of collecting wells from underground aquifers, the company since 1991 uses only groundwater, which is more consistent and efficient.
Industry accounts for 12 percent of water usage through Indiana American Water, Loughmiller said, while nearly 45 percent is for residential consumption and 27 percent for commercial use. The company also has 1.6 percent of its water for resale, supplying smaller water utilities such as the Sullivan-Vigo Rural Water Co., Loughmiller said.
“I think the [Indiana chamber] report is a first good step. It is very early in the planning and strategy. Water is a factor where companies locate, so it is an economic factor. It is a good move and first good step to have this kind of study,” Loughmiller said.
“We certainly want to be at the table for further discussions and planning and any legislation as well,” Loughmiller said. “We could definitely play a role as we serve about one in five residents of the state. We do have access to a lot of water resources through our facilities and pipelines and water mains.”
The report states that Vigo County has three aquifer systems and possibly water storage in some underground mined areas.
The most productive is the Wabash River and Tributaries Outwash Aquifer system, which includes thick glacial outwash sands and gravels and is capped by a layer of clay, sandy clay, slit or loess deposits in a few places. The thickness of the deposits range from 40 to 150 feet, the study states.
“This aquifer system is capable of meeting the needs of domestic and high-capacity users in Vigo County. The wells utilizing the Wabash River and Tributaries Outwash Aquifer System are completed at depths from 40 to 75 feet with saturated sand and gravel aquifer materials commonly 25 to 60 feet thick,” the study states.
“In Vigo County, there are 36 registered significant groundwater withdrawal facilities (78 wells) in this system. Predomina[nt] uses for these facilities are public water supply, industry and irrigation,” the study states.
“Reported production for high-capacity wells ranges up to 2,700 gallons per minute. Also one large diameter radial collector well has a reported capacity of 8,333 gallons per minute,” the study states.
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