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Early bird registration is open for the Preserving Historic Places Conference 2024, in Madison, IN through Sept. 1.

Conference sessions will highlight Main Street successes, heritage tourism, local preservation commissions and innovative approaches to preservation.

The conference take place in Madison Oct. 22-25. Madison is a town rich in 19th-century architecture and heritage that provided a hub for industry, commerce, the Underground Railroad, and transportation.

Full conference registration ends October 11. For information and updates see indianalandmarks.org/tours-events/preserving-historic-places-conference.

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 A decade ago, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce commissioned a study on the state’s water supply to provide an account of the resource so vital for everyday life and economic development. Now, through the Indiana Chamber Foundation, the organization has released its follow-up research, “Water Policy and Planning: A 10-Year Update.” 

This new report is intended to help set the stage for an integrated water management plan for the state, a key infrastructure and energy priority in the Indiana Chamber’s Indiana Prosperity 2035 visioning plan. 

Like the first effort, this study was prepared by INTERA Incorporated, which has a location in Bloomington.

“Today, we have more observations of water levels and more information about flows (than in 2014),” says Jack Wittman, project leader and vice president and principal water resource hydrologist for INTERA. “We have a framework for planning that we’ve simply never had before.”

That’s exactly what the Indiana Chamber was seeking to accomplish, remarks its president and CEO Vanessa Green Sinders.

“Water is such a critical resource for all Hoosiers and it’s imperative to assess current levels as well as help legislators and planners put Indiana in a strong position for the future. We’re grateful for the contributions of all involved in this important study, which we hope can help inform next steps for local and state officials.”

General findings in the new report reveal water in the state is plentiful, but not evenly distributed. Distinctions abound based on geography. For instance, north of the Wabash River, every community, manufacturer and irrigator reportedly has access to their own local groundwater or stream. 

In central Indiana, however, water must be well-managed to meet demand as it contains a diversity of sources that include reservoirs, rivers and well fields. And in southern Indiana, “regional water systems have long been the foundation of growth and economic development,” according to the report, relying since the 1960s on sources that include Patoka Lake, Monroe Lake and Brookville Reservoir. 

One finding is that while total withdrawals for industrial use are declining overall, capacity may be added regionally as opportunities open for new development. 

To avoid conflict, study authors assert, new facilities need to have access to adequate cooling and process water as well as guidance for planning new wastewater returns. In previous decades, industrial water use steadily declined and the use of surface water correspondingly dropped. 

The summary continues: “New developments could reverse this trend, so the state needs to consider these plans carefully as the availability within any basin is determined. Where local supplies are unable to satisfy demands for process water, proposals for inter-basin transfers need to be developed with some basic guidance and direction from the state.”

The report also relays that groundwater withdrawal has increased more rapidly than surface water diversions since the 2014 study. The aquifers of the state are becoming increasingly important as a means of satisfying seasonal demands while controlling costs of treatment and conveyance.

Overall, Indiana has enough water for existing proposals and demand, thus putting the state in a much stronger position than, say, its arid western counterparts. Yet the focus turns toward the future.

“What we have to do is think about how future demand might be distributed and how that looks, whether it’s a matter of organic growth from cities or whether we’re actually building mega developments in particular areas,” Wittman offers. “In either case, we have to understand what the effects of high demand for water might be in different basins.”

Using the water study findings to craft meaningful legislation and processes will be the next phase of work. State and federal action will undoubtedly be key, but governments closer to the sources also should play a role.

“Local governments need to be more involved in the process,” Wittman suggests. “There are experiences that counties have now with being more directly involved in the question of water. That needs to be brought to the table and considered.” 

Other recommendations include further emphasis on planning; continued coordination by the Indiana Finance Authority; sustainable funding; establishing criteria for setting environmental flows and a framework for data monitoring; developing guidance for regional plans; and cultivating a living state water plan (to build on regional plans). 

For the Indiana Chamber, the study release is phase one. “Between now and the start of the legislative session, our organization will be meeting with key lawmakers to share the research and work collaboratively to help shape policy in 2025,” notes Sinders. “We also will be reaching out to local chambers and government officials across the state to highlight these findings and talk about what this means in their communities and how we can partner on enhanced resource planning.”  

The research project also included consultations with the Indiana Chamber Water Resources Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives from water utilities, drinking water professional organizations, consultants, relevant state agencies, agriculture, aggregate operations and environmentalists.

Investors in the water study are: ACEC Indiana; AES Indiana; Aqua Indiana; Citizens Energy Group; Ginovus; Indiana American Water; Indiana Farm Bureau; Indiana Mineral Aggregates; Indiana Pork Producers; Indiana Section, American Water Works Association; Indiana Soybean Alliance/Indiana Corn Marketing Council; M.E. Simpson Company, Inc.; National Association of Water Companies, Indiana Chapter; and The Nature Conservancy.

View the full Indiana Chamber Foundation study at www.indianachamber.com/water.  

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Washington County, Indiana (August 21, 2024) – One of society’s greatest responsibilities is to care for its children. During this Child Support Awareness Month, we acknowledge the critical role financial support plays in the prosperity of children.

Without support from a noncustodial parent, children may lack essential resources like food, clothing, education and childcare. Establishing financial support requirements for separated parents allows the basic needs of a child to be met. Once this legal obligation is established by a court of law, the Indiana Department of Child Services and local prosecutors must work together to hold parents accountable for financially supporting their children.

“We take this job seriously because child support is about the child, not the parents or the past,” said Washington County Prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt. “Parents must meet their legal obligations, and our state and local agencies should ensure children have a chance to succeed by chasing down this support. In Washington County, we will continue working to provide all children with resources to meet their basic needs.”

The Washington County Child Support Division currently manages 761 open cases and has collected $1.5 million. Of all paternity cases filed, over 100% have resulted in established paternity. Additionally, 99% of child support petitions filed have led to a child support order, and 74% of all pending cases are actively collecting support. In cases involving only child support arrearages or collections on past-due support, 75% are successfully collecting. Washington County exceeds the national average in each of these categories.

Child support is critical to ensuring our children can thrive, and failing to collect child support payments is a disservice to our children. No matter how personally involved a parent is in a child’s life, providing financial support is a tangible and crucial way to care for a child.

Learn more at www.in.gov/dcs/child-support/.

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Three blood drives are planned in Washington County in September. 

Dates and locations include:

Tuesday, Sept. 3
Westview Christian Church
2638 NW Washington School Road and Hwy 60
Campbellsburg, IN 47108
2-6 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 4
Ascension St. Vincent Salem Hospital
911 North Shelby Street
Salem, IN 47167
10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 11
West Washington High School
8028 W Batts Road
Campbellsburg, IN 47108
9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. Whether a patient receives whole blood, red cells, platelets or plasma, this lifesaving care starts with one person making a generous donation.

Blood Supply Statistics
The Red Cross provides about 40% of our nation’s blood and blood components, all from generous volunteer donors. But supply can’t always meet demand because only about 3% of age-eligible people donate blood yearly. Each new donor helps us meet patient needs.

    •    Each year, an estimated 6.8 million people in the U.S. donate blood.
    •    13.6 million units of whole blood and red blood cells are collected in the U.S. in a year.
    •    About 45% of people in the U.S. have Group O (positive or negative) blood; the proportion is higher among Hispanics (57%) and African Americans (51%).
    •    Type O negative red cells can be given to patients of all blood types. Because only 7% of people in the U.S. are type O negative, it’s always in great demand and often in short supply.
    •    Type AB plasma can be transfused to patients of all blood types. Since only 4% of people in the U.S. have type AB blood, this plasma is usually in short supply.
    •    Red blood cells must be used within 42 days (or less).
    •    Platelets must be used within just 5 days.
    •    
Facts About Blood Needs
    •    Every 2 seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood and or platelets.
    •    Approximately 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U. S.
    •    Nearly 5,000 units of platelets and 6.500 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S.
    •    Nearly 16 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S.
    •    Sickle cell disease affects 90,000 to 100,000 people in the U.S. About 1,000 babies are born with the disease each year. Sickle cell patients can require blood transfusions throughout their lives.
    •    The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 units.
    •    A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood.
    •    Blood and platelets cannot be manufactured; they can only come from volunteer donors.
    •    The blood type most often requested by hospitals is type O.
    •    One donation can help save more than one life.
    •    According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1.9 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2023. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.