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Tipton utility staff outlines sewer-use ordinance revisions and proposes test wells to secure future water supply
Summary
Staff told the Tipton Utility Board that IDEM provided comments on a revised sewer-use ordinance and that the utility plans to seek permission July 15 to drill short test wells on RDC-owned land to evaluate a promising site for future water supply.
At the July 6 meeting of the Tipton Utility Board, staff provided a multi-part operational update that included sewer-use ordinance revisions following feedback from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and plans to test potential new well sites to meet long-term water demand tied to nearby development.
Staff reported that IDEM returned comments on a handful of changes to the sewer-use ordinance; he said he will prepare a redline copy and a clean version and intends to bring a resolution for the utility board to adopt so the board can recommend the ordinance to Tipton City Council, likely at the board’s first meeting in August. Staff said these edits arise from the utility’s NPDES permit renewal process and include financial and enforcement clarifications and measures to identify industrial users that do not meet standards.
On water supply, staff described updated site maps and a promising historic test well near the area known as the patch development. He said he met with Tim Hill of Peerless Midwest, who performs the utility’s well work, and that staff plans to ask the Redevelopment Commission (RDC) on July 15 for permission to access RDC-owned property to drill a short-duration (one to two day) test well. Staff said if a suitable productive well can be sited on or immediately adjacent to City-controlled property, it would be preferable to relying on a more distant supply.
Board members discussed variability in historic well productivity (markers cited as PW07B and 7C), differences in aquifers, and the possibility of system interconnection in the longer term to broaden sources. Staff said he is waiting on pricing for test-well work and will return with details; he also noted that if test wells performed poorly, he would raise the issue of protecting the promising site for future utility use with county and development stakeholders.
Staff also gave brief updates on the Steel Parks building account (payment collected and power restored), recent electrical arc-flash safety training on June 24, and local projects that will require utility connections — including ball fields and a new speedway foundation nearby that has not yet tied into Tipton Municipal Utilities’ water and sewer lines. A committee member noted the Kokomo Rescue Mission’s new engagement center can help Tipton County residents apply for low-income housing support, and staff said he would collect contact information to share with customers.
Next steps include presenting the ordinance redline and resolution for board action (target: first meeting in August) and seeking RDC permission to perform a test well on July 15; staff is awaiting cost estimates for drilling work.
