SPEEDWAY, Ind. – More than 300,000 people are expected to roll into Speedway leading up to the Indianapolis 500.
The town has been hard at work behind the scenes making sure there is going to be enough water to go around for residents and guests.
Around 4 million gallons of water will be used on the day of the Indy 500.
“Gotta make sure the water is flowing,” said Speedway Water Superintendent Ronnie Smith.
For a town with a population of 13,000, that’s much more than usual.
Since drinks will also be flowing at the track, the town wants to make sure they are prepared.
“I mean if you can’t go to the restroom it is hard to enjoy the race,” said Speedway Town Manager, Grant Gleinhenz.
Preparations mean ordering extra supplies and making sure the team is fully staffed.
“Make sure we have enough chlorine on hand, reagents on hand,” said Smith.
Kleinhenz said it is unique that the town’s water treatment plant is rated for around 13 million gallons.
“We take surface water off of Little Eagle Creek, but we also have wells to use that groundwater,” said Kleinhenz.
Kleinhenz said in 2017, around 4.5 million gallons of water were used at the track, but that number has dropped over the last few years.
“There have been some efficiencies improvements out at the track, and have invested some dollars trying to use their water more wisely,” said Kleinhenz. “So that has been a factor in the reduction of water used.”
For now, leading up to the race, preparations are underway.
“We have to make sure there is no excessive water usage anywhere else and touch base with anybody who would create a problem,” said Smith.
“This is May, right? May in Speedway is a special time,” said Kleinhenz.
“We have the greatest tourist attraction in Indiana by far, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Everything in May leads up to that one day on Memorial Day.”
