Committee advances changes to Maumee River Basin Watershed commission to restore representation, emphasize best management practices

House Bill 11-26, which passed the Senate Natural Resources Committee by voice vote and was recommitted to the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal, would amend membership and duties of the Maumee River Basin Watershed Development Commission. The basin covers six counties in northeast Indiana and drains to Lake Erie.

Representative Heiney introduced the bill and asked Rodney Reichenberger, executive director of the Maumee River Basin Commission, to explain the changes. Reichenberger said the bill is intended to “enhance” prior legislation by restoring soil and water conservation district representation on the commission, adding representation for the region's second‑class city (Fort Wayne) and emphasizing implementation of best management practices to reduce flood damage and improve water quality.

Mike Fruci, Allen County surveyor and president of the Maumee River Basin Commission, described the commission as a unanimous, technically focused body that seeks engineering‑based solutions for flood mitigation and soil and water conservation. Tom Miller, president of the Allen County Farm Bureau, said agricultural stakeholders support the commission and the bill as a forum to develop and implement proactive conservation practices benefiting agriculture and downstream users such as Toledo and Lake Erie.

Witnesses and the bill sponsor emphasized that the measure is not intended to supplant existing state or local authorities such as the Indiana drainage code or soil and water conservation districts; rather, the changes are designed to provide flexibility and local control to address basin‑specific priorities.

The committee moved to pass and recommitted the bill to the Senate Committee on Tax and Fiscal for further consideration. The committee recorded the passage with eight yeas, no nays, and the bill was recommitted to tax and fiscal.