Citizens – Lebanon Water Supply Program
Background
Citizens Energy Group has finalized an agreement with the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA) to provide Lebanon Utilities with up to 25 million gallons of water per day through a wholesale agreement.
Rates from Citizens Water’s customers will not be used to bear costs associated with this program
Citizens is committed to protecting its customers from bearing any costs associated with water infrastructure to provide service to Lebanon Utilities. The infrastructure is being funded through loans from the Indiana Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. Bonds will be issued in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $700,000,000 in accordance with the Resolution (link) adopted and approved by the Board of Directors for Utilities of the Department of Public Utilities of the City of Indianapolis (“Citizens”) on August 21, 2024 (Meeting Minutes Link). Citizens is not responsible for the debt service of the non-recourse loans. Citizens customer rates will not be used to fund infrastructure costs associated with this program.
Citizens Has A Robust Regional Water System
The Citizens water system is unique when compared to other water systems in Indiana in that most of its water comes from surface water sources instead of groundwater. The system is composed of 10 water treatment plants; waterways including the White River and Fall Creek; four reservoirs (Eagle Creek, Geist, Citizens, and Morse); and groundwater wells. Lebanon Utilities will be a wholesale customer of Citizens, much like other communities in Central Indiana. The additional water to serve Lebanon Utilities will be treated through upgrades to two existing surface water treatment plants. Construction is forecasted to last through 2031, with interim water-delivery milestones along the way.
See Map of Where We Provide Water Service | Citizens Energy Group
Planning for the Future
Citizens annually reviews and updates its strategic water resource plans for providing water to Central Indiana, considering normal and drought conditions up to 50 years into the future; this process includes collaborating with surrounding communities to examine regional water needs (Citizens Water Resource Plan Summary). Development of the infrastructure to provide water to Lebanon Utilities is in line with this strategic process and meets the regional growth needs of customers and the City of Lebanon.
Program Status
Citizens is in the Program Planning and Implementation phase, which includes (1) finalization of the preliminary engineering report documentation and application (IFA Application Link); (2) development of design documents for each project area; (3) coordination with stakeholders, and (4) preparation for the Program Construction phase. Stakeholders may see in-field activities such as survey or geotechnical work.
Citizens is committed to keeping customers and the public up-to-date on this program. As such, Citizens will routinely update this web page.
Citizens Water Treatment Process
Citizens Reservoir Virtual Tour
Frequently Asked Questions
No, Citizens will protect its customers from the costs associated with this program. Funds from Citizens Water’s customer rates will not be used to repay the IFA loans.
No, Citizens Water will not be expanding its groundwater production capacity as a part of this program. To supply the City of Lebanon, Citizens Water will only be expanding its surface water production capacity at the TW Moses and White River North surface water treatment plants.
Yes, Citizens Water continually plans for future water use cases when evaluating a project such as this. A copy of the latest Integrated Water Resource Plan is provided at the link above to summarize some of this work.
Citizens will routinely update this website with more information as it becomes available. We are committed to keeping our customers and the residents of central Indiana up to date on how this work progresses.
Please email any additional inquiries to CLWSP@citizensenergygroup.com