A letter to the editor from a local activist group

We the people of Kokomo, Indiana (www.wethepeopleKokomo.com), are concerned that some groups are using propaganda to try to make us think that we have "ample" water for massive water use projects. There have been two newspaper articles in the past few months citing the same Indiana Finance Authority (IFA) studies. These studies are connected to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.

The March 15, 2025, article reads, "A state water plan would be used in similar fashion to a municipal comprehensive plan, with collected data being used to make decisions about how Indiana's water resources are tapped."

The reason we are concerned about any of our officials saying we have plenty of water is because we do not. Period. Howard County is not drinking water rich; even the IFA study recognizes this fact.

This study, according to several analysts, is a flawed study. Currently, 60 percent of Kokomo’s water comes from the Wildcat Creek. Indiana American Water would not be using that source if there was abundant ground water available.

This is very important because the water needed for each electric battery plant is huge (2.7 million gallons per day) and has to be extremely pure - even exceeding drinking water needs. The worse the source water, the more expensive the purification process.

The flaws in the IFA studies are major because they don't separate out drinking water from what is called "brown" water. Our suggestions to the city to require major water hogs to recycle and pay more per unit will help with how much the rest of us have to pay for our water usage.

Never take water for granted. It is invaluable. Never take clean water for granted. It is a HUGE blessing. Indiana is blessed to have this natural resource in abundance but that doesn't mean there is "ample" water for pet projects that could destroy this natural resource forever.

Mr. Mike Day has done an extraordinary job of evaluating the IFA studies. Here is his comment regarding Howard County: "The IEDC lured Star Plus (co-owned by Samsung and Stellantis) to build two massive electric vehicle battery plants in Howard County. As the first plant is nearing completion, the City of Kokomo has realized that it will struggle to sustain the cities' existing water needs while supplying the new incremental requirements of 5.4 MGD for both facilities.

Consequently, water resources from the Russiaville area are currently being sought to pipe in to supplement the shortfall. This begs the question: How would the IFA's study have predicted the shortfall of water required in Howard County? Their unscientific update is riddled with biased errors and cannot predict such a shortfall."

Mike has been sounding the alarm about these IFA water studies for over a year now and all our local State Representatives have received copies of his analysis. Lots more to discuss about all this. Please ask our officials questions about what companies they are giving tax abatements to and why and if these companies are protecting our resources rather than sucking us dry.

Another question, who paid to have this study performed and were there any biases incorporated into the final results?

We The People Kokomo

Represented by David and Ann Ihms

Howard County, Indiana