Planning commission proposes ordinance to limit commercial water use and create drainage-board review

A planning commission representative presented a draft ordinance to the Owen County Board of Commissioners on July 1 proposing new local controls over commercial and industrial water use. The draft, approved unanimously by planning commissioners, would lower the county’s local review threshold from 100,000 gallons per day to 10,000 gallons per day for commercial uses and would tie review to a county drainage board to allow local oversight of discharge and downstream impacts.

The presenter said the 10,000-gallon threshold was informed by local data and discussion with regional water-utility contacts and was designed to capture medium-scale commercial users that currently fall outside Department of Natural Resources oversight. The planning representative emphasized the proposal is not aimed at a single industry but is designed to give the county a consistent, universal standard to evaluate applicants — including emerging high-water-usage facilities such as data centers.

Commissioners and residents asked practical questions about existing hauled-water operations and special-use permits, and staff said prior variances and local permit conditions would remain relevant. The presenter recommended the board send the draft ordinance to legal review and consider establishing a drainage board to provide ad hoc review only when applications affect designated regulated drains or outlets.

The planning commission representative urged commissioners to adopt local protections to avoid the legal and resource complications neighboring counties have faced when large water users locate without clear local safeguards. No formal vote was taken; staff said they would proceed with legal review and bring a recommended process back to the board.