Ethanol Plant and City's Water Supply

I have been talking about this on the air and have had numerous conversations at different levels of government to determine the status of a permit being sought by a proposed (and apparently Somerset County approved) Ethanol Plant to be located just across the river .

Ethanol production is water intensive and the owners have asked for a permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment to draw up to one million gallons per day from local ground water. I have been told that their preference is the Patapsco Aquifer (around 1000-feet), however they also want provision to tap into the Pocomoke Aquifer in case they cannot get the flow rate they need from the deeper source.

The Pocomoke Aquifer is where we draw our municipal water supply and we currently are permitted to draw up to one million gallons per day. We currently only draw about 750,000 gallons per day. I am obviously concerned about any impact a draw of that much water could have on our municipal water supply.

We are waiting on a report from the MDE to determine any impact this permit would have and if it will even be allowed. I have asked Worcester County for support and they have come to our aid. The city and county have gone to great lengths to work within the state guidelines for smart growth and development by protecting much of our environmentally sensitive areas and this includes the collection areas where our aquifers are recharged.

We have very little control over another county, and hence the need to involve the state in this process. The question is not whether or not there is enough water for today, but whether or not we can secure enough water for our own future growth and development.

Pocomoke City will continue to grow in coming years and our water needs will increase proportionally. We need to insure that one large user of water will not cut off our ability to expand when the time comes.