The 2025 Indiana General Assembly is in full swing. With Groundwater Awareness Week coming up March 9-15, now is a good time to check in on water related legislation and prepare to use your citizen voice to protect our water sources.
When you contact your legislators, stress the importance of keeping our water free of harmful chemicals thereby protecting our families, businesses, wildlife, and saving state resources from expensive cleanups.
Here are a list of a few water quality related bills to watch this session. Follow the Hoosier Environmental Council for a full range of environmental issue updates.
Stormwater Management
Conscious stormwater management is critical to protecting drinking water sources. In the construction process, erosion and runoff can contribute to water pollution. HB 1037 would ultimately dis-allow local governments from implementing custom erosion controls for builders.
Waterway ecosystems
Two bills are currently active to protect waterway ecosystems. SB121 prohibits minnow fishing methods that are harmful to the non-targeted fish or catch an indiscriminately large number of fish. SB211 authorizes funding to manage invasive plant species. Invasive plants can be harmful to the overall water ecosystem as well as crowding out native plants that improve water quality.
Water Utility Permitting
SB 4 introduces a permitting process for large water transfers by a water utility. This bill encourages water conservation, but does not address water quality. The bills sets forth that water utilities obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity prior to transferring certain amounts of water or from certain locations.
For more about these bills and others, visit the Indiana General Assembly website at www.iga.in.gov or the Hoosier Environmental Council’s Bill Watch.
