Ballard's New Cricket Park Blamed For Draining Neighbors' Wells

The Star's Jon Murray has a story likely to cause more headaches for Mayor Greg Ballard over his decision to spend millions on a new sports park on the city's east side where cricket and other novelty sports can be played. After a new well was installed for the park under construction, nearby neighbors complained that their wells went dry and burned up their pumps. State investigators have been called in to determine if the park's new well is to blame for the problem, but the neighbors have already determined that it is the cause of a problem that is already costing them thousands of dollars to remedy.

. . . An earlier pumping of the well, about two weeks ago, led to frustrating problems.

Brenda Limbach said her faucets ran dry. As the water level dropped quickly, she said, her well pump burned out.

At least two other neighbors with private wells on Prospect Street, east of Post Road, experienced similar problems about the same time. All have ponied up for costly repairs and, in Limbach’s case, a new well.

To Limbach, the cause was a no-brainer.

“I don’t think that’s a coincidence,” she said. “We have never had any issue with our well. We’ve been here for 11 years.”

The water-well issue, first reported Tuesday on Indystar.com, is the latest controversy to befall the $6 million park expansion . . .

According to Murray's story, the area is not serviced by a local water utility so the residents are dependent on wells for their source of water. Once the new park is seeded and begins watering the playing fields neighbors fear their problems will be further exacerbated. The only solution may be to spend the substantial amount of money required to run utility water lines to service the park.