MOUNTAIN TOWN AND GEOTHERMAL WATCH THEIR WATER

NBC writer examines geothermal dispute

Bennett Kessler, October 7, 2014 (Sierra Wave Media)

“…Mammoth Community Water District paid $125,000 for a public relations firm to create a higher profile [for the conflict between Mammoth Community Water District and Ormat Geothermal]…Ormat’s plan to increase pumping of hot water from a deep underground source…[caused residents to] fear this could threaten the cold water aquifer that supplies as much as 70% of the community’s drinking water…[L]ocals aren’t against geothermal power but do want the company to commit to drilling dedicated deep wells that would allow constant monitoring of changes and provide warning of threats…

“…Ormat Senior Vice President Bob Sullivan…[believes this is no] need to drill expensive deep wells solely to keep track of water pressures and chemistry…[because] the hot zone can be monitored by taking working wells off line periodically to gather measurements…Bill Evans, a research chemist with the U.S. Geological Survey, [said] it’s possible removing the water could cause a pressure drop in the geothermal zone that might then draw down water from the upper cold water reservoir…[Mammoth] wants four deep wells to be drilled along with more shallow ones for monitoring. The USGS suggests one or two…Water District Manager Patrick Hayes says Ormat wants the risk to be borne by the community…[Evans said they need to] compromise…” click here for more

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