[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 5/1/07

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

May 1, 2007

 

2. Supply –

 

Opinion:

Making ethanol of corn takes far too much water -

Modesto Bee

 

Comment sought on water supply plan -

Sacramento Bee

 

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Opinion:

Making ethanol of corn takes far too much water

Modesto Bee – 5/1/07

 

Businesses all over California are racing to build plants to make ethanol, an additive or substitute for gasoline that might — or might not (depending on the study) — lower greenhouse gas emissions. There's even a plan to build such a plant along Highway 99 in Keyes. Setting aside any objections about location or environmental impacts, we wonder whether anyone has thought about what goes into making ethanol.

 

Namely, how much water it will take to grow all that corn.

 

Many crops can be distilled into ethanol, but most makers are choosing corn. And corn is the most water-intensive of all the possible ethanol crops. How much water? How much corn? The answers are startling.

 

First, many studies have suggested that corn-based ethanol isn't the best solution to breaking our oil addiction. Corn-based ethanol is far less efficient as a fuel than sugar-cane ethanol. And diverting corn from other uses, such as feeding cows and chickens, likely will drive the costs of food and farming higher. Big companies who deal in growing and marketing corn would prefer we ignore such facts. But it's harder to ignore the amount of water that using corn-based ethanol would require.

 

This is a back-of-the-napkin look at ethanol's impact on California water. The conclusions are imprecise, because no energy, water or utility agency has gotten into this yet. Let's start with two assumptions: Corn will remain the crop of choice, and California will have to grow its own corn because other states will be using their own corn for making fuel.

 

The Water Education Foundation says it takes about 118 gallons of water to grow a pound of corn. How many pounds of corn does it take to produce a gallon of ethanol? About 21 pounds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Doing the multiplication, each gallon of ethanol will take roughly 2,500 gallons of water.

 

Gulp.

 

There is a goal to produce about a billion gallons of ethanol in California a year. So each of those gallons of fuel, based on the calculations and assumptions above, would require 2,500 gallons of water. That's about 2.5 trillion gallons of water for 1 billion gallons of ethanol.

 

How much water is that? There are about 650 billion gallons of water in Don Pedro Reservoir. That would cover about a quarter of the need. Or, take all the water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that now goes to Southern California and valley farms, use it to grow corn — and you wouldn't have enough.

 

This back-of-the-napkin analysis suggests three things about ethanol in California:

 

First, a water-intensive crop such as corn in the Central Valley is a bad choice. Second, since there is only so much water for ag, something else won't be grown. Third, the state must insist that only the most water-efficient means be used to grow these crops.

It's downright scary to see such a rush to ethanol without a better look at the costs and consequences.#

http://www.modbee.com/opinion/story/13538510p-14142575c.html

 

Comment sought on water supply plan

Sacramento Bee – 5/1/07

 

DAVIS -- A draft environmental impact report for the proposed Davis-Woodland Water Supply Project is open for public comment.

The project goal is to reduce reliance on groundwater by diverting surface water from the Sacramento River, according to a news release.

A community meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Woodland City Council chambers, 300 First St., and at 6:30 p.m. May 16 at Davis Community Chambers, 23 Russell Blvd.

 

The project is proposed by the cities of Davis and Woodland and the University of California, Davis. The draft environmental impact report will be available for public review and comment through May 31.

 

Residents may mail written comments to Jacques DeBra, city of Davis, Public Works Department, 1717 Fifth St., Davis, CA 95616. For more information visit the Web site www.daviswoodlandwatersupply.com or call DeBra at (530) 757-5679.#

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/164049.html