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Is biomass plant worth risk to water supply?     

Herald and News letter to editor by Del Hollis, Klamath Falls 8/8/10

Our Klamath County Commissioners Cheryl Hukill and Al Switzer have stated in the Herald and News that “businesses with livable wage jobs will quit looking at Klamath County as a viable place to relocate if we do not have a stable economy, of which agriculture is a huge part.”

   Well, it is the water below the ground that keeps the region’s rivers flowing year- long and precipitation is the key link in the region’s hydrology.  

   If farmers and ranchers are not receiving the water they need to grow the key agricultural crops we need to economically flourish, how can a proposed biomass plant that will be using upwards to 1 million gallons a day even be entertained as a viable option?

   The current White City biomass plant is using 800,000 gallons of water per day and it is not as large as the proposed plant.

   Furthermore, per their document Exhibit B facility description, sewage will be generated through routine office use for approximately 30 permanent employees and will consist of up to 900 gallons per day, which is in addition to the above-mentioned 1 million gallons per day for operational usage.

   Furthermore, in the same document, the 57 tons of ash per day will need to be mixed with water to reach 25 percent moisture in order to be shipped to a permitted landfill for disposal (wherever that might be).   So even more water will be used, but our farmers and ranchers can’t seem to be able to get what they need to survive in this economy. Does this seem acceptable to you? For 30 permanent jobs, 20 of which will possibly be for our residents (and we all know how those promises pan out), our water supply will be threatened even further than it already is.