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Public commenter says Rainbow Trout solar petition lacks required stormwater and wetland analyses; staff outlines ordinance and sequencing
Summary
A resident told the Drainage Board that the Rainbow Trout solar project's special-exception petition lacks required stormwater management, NPDES and wetland delineation materials; county staff described how solar farms are treated under the Tippecanoe County drainage ordinance and said zoning typically precedes detailed drainage design.
A public commenter told the Tippecanoe County Drainage Board on June 4 that the Rainbow Trout solar special-exception petition submitted to the Area Plan Commission’s executive committee lacks the stormwater, wetland and federal/state approvals the zoning code requires.
Kenny McClary, a West Lafayette resident, told the board the petition does not include the level of stormwater management detail required under UCO §4-11-14 and related sections and therefore is not approvable by the drainage board in its current form. He listed items the petitioner would need to address, including NPDES permits, wetland delineation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, numerous ponds and sediment basins, and that the petitioner’s own materials show more than two dozen streams and multiple wetlands across the site.
McClary said, “The storm water management plans being presented on that project is not approvable by the drainage board,” and asked the board to advise the APC Executive Committee on whether the petition is ripe for BZA review.
County staff responded that historically applicants submit preliminary plans to the APC (and BZA) first to resolve zoning and special-exception matters before investing heavily in detailed design, and that staff has not yet received detailed panel placement, roadway or drainage design for the site. Staff noted Tippecanoe County’s 2023 stormwater drainage ordinance contains a technical-standards section that specifically addresses solar farms and requires pre- and post-construction runoff analyses, detention or demonstration of exemption, water-quality controls, pedestal and panel spacing to avoid concentrated flow, and other design standards.
A county staff member said the office has requested clarification from the APC Executive Committee on sequencing and noted that solar facilities of the scale under consideration raise technical demands not previously handled by the board. The staff member recommended clarifying the zoning/technical submission sequence so the drainage board receives the technical materials it needs before a BZA hearing.
The board took no formal action on the Rainbow Trout petition at the June 4 meeting; staff and public commenters asked that the APC Executive Committee and project proponents resolve missing technical items before zoning hearings proceed.
