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June 19, 2006
Ethanol or water in the Midwest
Ethanol is being promoted as the savior of our high gasoline costs. We apparently are finding out there are some hidden costs in the production of ethanol that have not been considered.
In Champaign and Urbana,IL the city officials expressed concern when they heard that the proposed nearby ethanol plant, would draw 2 million gallons of water a day from the Mahomet Aquifer, which supplies the two cities.
"On a statewide scale, it's not a huge amount of water," said Allen H. Wehrmann, director of the Center for Groundwater Science at the Illinois State Water Survey.
"The demand for water by the two-dozen operating ethanol plants in Iowa has not damaged water sources or supplies," said Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.
Ethanol supporters say there is more danger of running out of corn than there is of using too much water, and that limitation will limit the number of plants in a particular area.
Champaign and Urbana have lifted their objects to the project when the proponent agreed to study the potential impact on the Mahomet Aquifer before proceeding. The Champaign County Board voted last month to allow ethanol plants as a special use in heavy industry zones, as reported by the Associated Press, and published by The Boston Globe.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at June 19, 2006 06:36 PM
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