 |
|
|
October 18, 2006 | A dozen citizens review water study with AECI and experts Contact : Nancy Southworth About a dozen people took advantage of the opportunity to meet with experts on the hydrogeology of the Missouri River and staff from Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. regarding water supply for the cooperative’s proposed coal-based power plant near Norborne, Mo., Oct. 17 at AECI’s Norborne office. Local residents were able to discuss and get answers regarding their specific wells and the proposed wells for the power plant. They also could review the results of a recent study that showed sufficient water supply for existing local uses and the proposed power plant. AECI plans to build a 660-megawatt, coal-based power plant to meet growing electricity demand among its member-owners: six generation and transmission cooperatives that serve 51 local distribution cooperatives. The proposed plant site is northwest of Norborne, Mo. The alternate site is in Holt County near Big Lake, Mo. A key component of the project is sufficient water supply. AECI responded to neighbors’ suggestions and decided to place the plant’s supply wells near the Missouri River to limit potential impacts on neighboring wells. In May the public was invited to view part of a well-pumping test as part of a study at a site adjacent to the river about seven miles south of the proposed plant site. Because of the supply wells’ close proximity to the river, most of the water supply for the plant will be drawn from below the riverbed and the immediate area around the well site. Even under the worst-case scenario – low river levels and severe drought coupled with maximum demand from the power plant – results of the well study predict no negative impacts to nearby wells. The major topic of discussion Oct. 17 was water, but residents also inquired about whether there was any new information on the proposed transmission and railroad corridors for the power plant. This information will be available after the end of the year when the federal Rural Utilities Service publishes the draft environmental impact statement. Public meetings to gather comment on the draft environmental impact statement are expected mid-February 2007. Water study remains available A third-party report indicates sufficient groundwater supply exists for both local uses and AECI’s proposed power plant. The well study and analysis were conducted by Collector Wells International (CWI), an Ohio-based water supply design and construction company. CWI’s previous projects include a 25 million gallon-per-day (MGD) well system on the banks of the Missouri River near Kansas City. AECI’s proposed power plant will use a daily average of about 8 MGD. The well study for AECI’s power plant included seven monitoring wells and a test well for a 72-hour pump test to measure potential water yield, quality and effects on the surrounding area. Results of this study predict no negative impacts on local groundwater supply. In addition, the results show sufficient water quantities available for plant operation. The complete well-study report will remain available at the Norborne office, the Carrollton and Norborne public libraries and on www.aeci.org. An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V Released: 18 October 2006
|
|
|||
 |