Introduction
Welcome to the Department of Natural Resources Online Significant Water Withdrawal Facility (SWWF) Data. These data have been extracted from the SWWF database maintained by the DNR Division of Water's Water Rights and Use Section, and should provide easy access to registered SWWF information and water use data submitted by the state's active facilities. This service is available free of charge to all users.
Background
With the enactment of Indiana's Water Resource Management Act (IC 14-25-7) by the 1982 Indiana General Assembly, owners of significant water withdrawal facilities are required to register with the DNR and report water use on an annual basis. A "significant water withdrawal facility" is defined in the statute to mean "the water withdrawal facilities of a person that, in the aggregate from all sources and by all methods, has the capability of withdrawing more than 100,000 gallons of ground water, surface water, or ground and surface water combined in one (1) day." Water use data were first submitted to the DNR for the calendar year 1985. The Water Rights and Use Section currently maintains records (in paper and digital form) of approximately 4,284 active SWWFs, representing about 7,538 ground-water wells and 1,265 surface water intakes. These records include the original registration form, location map, and annual water use report(s) for each facility.
Searching the Data
The online data contain information for all active SWWFs and will be updated annually for the prior calendar year by August 31. Because of the size and complexity of the database, only the last three years of reported water use will be made available. Users must download data for all SWWFs in the county, even if data from only one facility are desired. The download is a Zip file containing two MS Excel files (xls) that can be imported into spreadsheet programs or GIS applications. The XX-FAC.xls file has current owner, capacity, source, and location information for each pump registered as of Aug. 1, 2024. The XX-WU.xls file has the last three years of water withdrawal/pumping data for those facilities in the XX-FAC.xls file. A pump or facility in the XX-FAC.xls file may not appear for one or more years in the XX-WU.xls file because it was not yet registered, or withdrawals were not reported for those years. You can either download SWWF data for the entire state or by individual county by clicking on the links below the map at the bottom of this page. Prior to viewing the data in the Excel files, we recommend you review the Metadata/Data Fields Explanation document. This document will help you to better understand the limitations of the data.
To search the data on a map, click the MapApp image below. Zoom to county level or closer to view the facilities, wells, and intakes. Use the search bar to find wells, intakes, or facilities by registration number or owner, or to find an address or county. Click on the facility square to view information regarding the facility, including total number of ground-water wells and/ or surface water intakes and the facility’s total capacity. Click on a well or intake to see information regarding each pump, including the capacity, depth, and diameter for wells or the capacity and water body source for intakes. You can also view and download summaries of water use for the state by major water use category for each county. The files are in Acrobat pdf format and are available for the following years:
