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Neighbor warns of potential groundwater stress as subdivision moves forward near Lebanon
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Summary
During a Boone County BZA hearing about a four-lot subdivision near Lebanon, a resident said additional residential wells and prior drilling approvals for a nearby data center could be depleting local groundwater; the board said those issues fall outside its authority.
At the Boone County Board of Zoning Appeals’ April 1 meeting, resident Jody Stewart told the board she is concerned that new residential wells for a proposed four-lot subdivision near West 50 South could add stress to local groundwater and that she has previously submitted notices to county and state officials about large withdrawals she attributes to nearby data-center activity.
"I feel adding 3 more wells in this location may be harmful to others right now that are residing in the Lead District," Stewart said, and urged the board to make an unfavorable recommendation to the agency that will take final action. Stewart said she had served notices to the county board of health, the governor’s office and state agencies and said she had observed ponds on nearby properties going dry.
The chair responded that the BZA does not have oversight of corporate well permits or city permitting decisions. "We don't have anything to do with Meta or the city," the chair said, noting such withdrawals and commercial drilling fall outside the board’s purview; the board focused its review on subdivision layout, setback variances and technical advisory comments (septic, plot plan, drainage and driveway permits).
Brad Keys, a nearby property owner, said he retains a 0.4-acre parcel and intends to sell two front lots and keep the woods; he described access via a 40-foot driveway strip. Planning staff and the technical advisory committee emphasized requirements that would apply when owners seek building permits, including septic permits if plumbing is added, plot plans by a licensed surveyor, drainage compensation if fill is placed in a floodplain and driveway/right-of-way coordination.
The board approved the subdivision (petition 26JE-7MD-054) and the associated variance for Lot 4 with conditions that advisory comments and required permits be satisfied before permits or recordation proceed.
What to watch: Stewart’s allegation about large withdrawals tied to a data center and the county board of health’s prior decisions were not investigated during the BZA hearing; those claims, and any permitting records, would need to be examined by the county health department or other permitting authorities for verification.
