Whispering Springs wants to rezone a parcel of land located north of Pisgah Marsh to build a water bottling plant. The Noble County Plan Commission will consider the matter at a public hearing at 7 p.m. Sept. 18, in Albion. Photo provided by the Kosciusko County Covention and Visitors Bureau.

By Lauren Zeugner
InkFreeNews

(EDITOR’S NOTE: As a point of clarification, the Noble County Plan Commission will have its regular monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18. At that time both Whispering Springs development plan and rezoning will be discussed. There will not be a separate meeting for rezoning.)

PIERCETON — Whispering Springs is once again seeking to rezone property near Pisqah Marsh for a water bottling manufacturing and bottling plant. The Noble County Plan Commission is scheduled to hear the request at a public hearing at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18.

In April, Whispering Springs withdrew a request to change the zoning of the property from Agricultural district to Industrial so it could build an expanded facility at 3710 S. SR 5, Pierceton. The new facility would allow the manufacturing of plastic bottles as well as bottling water for sale and distribution.

At the time, the request was withdrawn so Whispering Springs parent company could revamp the plan in response to environmental concerns raised by neighbors to the proposed plant.

The property in question is located in Noble County, just east of the Kosciusko County line and just north of the Whitley County line. The property is also north of Pisgah Marsh.

In the original plan Whispering Springs proposed building a 92,000 square foot building with two retention ponds. Now it proposes to build a 196,000 square foot building on a 34 acre plot.

The plan is to recycle plastic to make the plastic bottles and pull water from the aquifer. If the plan is approved, Whispering Springs will eventually have three shifts working at the plant with approximately 16 semis loading and leaving each shift.

Neighbors and those within the Upper Tippecanoe River Watershed are concerned about Whispering Springs plans and the affect it will have on the aquifer.

Those living near the proposed site have made a concentrated effort to inform their neighbors and the community about the company’s proposed plan.

The result was a meeting held Saturday, Sept. 7, to discuss the matter. Ann Zydek, a resident living near Whispering Pines purposed site and an opponent to the company’s plan, said about 40 to 50 people attended.

Remonstrators have also hired local attorney Steve Snyder to represent them. An online petition is being highlighted on the Indiana Native Plant Society Facebook page. The petition was started by Michelle Badskey a Whitley County resident who lives near the proposed site.

At press time 4,654 electronic signatures of a requested 5,000 had been collected

In her online petition, Badskey noted allowing Whispering Springs to rezone the proposed property could lead to more development.

“The impact on our community doesn’t stop there,” the petition reads. “With this industrial development comes the likelihood of an industrial park following suit — further disrupting our rural landscape and way of life.”

Paper petitions are also circulating as far north as Syracuse.

Heather Harwood, executive director of Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation, which abuts the Upper Tippecanoe River Watershed, sent a letter of remonstrance to the Noble County Plan Commissioners.

In her letter, Harwood noted the WACF is located in both Noble and Kosciusko counties and has protected over 1,000 acres of wetlands.

“As a concerned foundation in Noble County, we believe that approving this project would have significant negative impacts on our community, environment and local resources. The environmental consequences of such a facility are deeply concerning. The extraction of large quantities of groundwater for bottling purposes can deplete our precious aquifiers, which are vital for our local ecosystem and agriculture. This depletion could lead to long-term damage to our water supply, adversely affecting both the environment and local farmers who depend on this resource for their livelihood,” Harwood’s letter stated.

Zydek said there is a report done by Whispering Springs regarding the impact the site will have on the area. The report allegedly states there will be no impact on the nearby wetlands. Neighbors dispute this.

Lyn Creighton, executive director of The Watershed Foundation, stated she is aware of the report. Her organization has been seeking data about the aquifer Whispering Springs plans to pull water from, the recharge rate and the groundwater withdrawal rate for several weeks. At press time, The Watershed Foundation had not received that information.

Zydek noted the conflict between the company and the remonstrators is Whispering Springs “is just focusing on the land,” while the opposition is focused on ground water. “They have snap shots in their report,” she said. “A major point is the geologist said you cannot totally understand when its (the aquifer) glacier (as opposed to an aquifer in bedrock).”

Zydek said residents are concerned if Whispering Springs is allowed to rezone the area and build its plant, their wells could dry up. Area farmers are concerned about having enough water to irrigate their fields.

She pointed out the weather has been unpredictable for the past several years. She said depending on the draw of water Whispering Springs intends to do, those living near by can expect trees to go and potentially “rivers not to flow during specific times of the year.”

She noted the environmental impact from the plant running 24 hours a day would range from birds changing their behavior due to light and noise pollution to the lifestyle of area residents being affected.

Zydek said those remonstrating against the plant feel they have to protect the area for the following generations. The project is also against Noble County’s comprehension plan which addresses the proposed site for Whispering Springs bottling plant as “conservation.”

The plan states that development should be restricted in “environmentally sensitive areas beyond minimum requirements from the state and federal government to ensure higher quality building.

“In order to continue to be a nature lover’s destination, development has to be symbiotic with the natural environment, especially in sensitive areas.”

“The word is starting to get out,” Zydek said. “People know about the board walk at Pisgah and this is not a good mix.”