Astronauts, Geothermal and Chevron

By Phil Hayworth

Pioneer Press

Fort Jones , CA

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

page #E11, column  1

pioneerp@sisqtel.net

There were a lot of ideas thrown around at last week's Common Ground Symposium in Cedarville, including ideas about water recycling, water rights and the use of geothermal energy - the latter likely being something with which the residents of Klamath County could soon be dealing.

Specifically, the Modoc County town of Canby , Calif. is exploring ways of tapping into its geothermal potential. Like Klamath, some residents in Canby are today using geothermal to heat water and, thus, their homes and greenhouses. Called the Canby Geothermal Project, the project's head, Dale Merrick, said the project today is a relatively small operation, generating no electrical heat. But he said they recently were awarded a $1.5 million grant by the California Energy Commission to drill a 4,000-foot well to tap water that could be as hot as 350 degrees - plenty hot enough to power a generator and produce massive amounts of electricity.

The problem, he said, is that it takes water to do so - and that water is being legally defined in some halls as a "natural resource." Because water, after all, is a finite resource, the issue of geothermal energy has morphed into an unwieldy battle over water rights law and natural resource law - at least in California .

Meanwhile, the Canby project is underway and the massive energy company, Chevron - always looking for eco-friendly energy sources -- has smelled a ripe victim, Merrick said.

" Modoc County has the largest, dry-steam field in the world," he said.

That kind of natural resource could turn the little town of Canby into an "island of prosperity," he said - and profit. That's why Chevron recently approached Merrick about buying out their geothermal rights. But Merrick - and Canby - told them to take a hike.

It was good thinking, said Chuck McGee, retired Reno Superior Court Judge.

"You'd better keep it local or predatory power companies like Chevron will wipe you out," he told the forum crowd last week.

Merrick and the Canby project intend to do just that, but they're taking a risk, he admits. Chevron has deep pockets and can easily afford exploration and well-drilling costs. If the Canby project fails, they're in trouble. That's because Canby has to match the $1.5 million put up by the Energy Commission with their own $1.5 million. 

"We're betting the farm," Merrick admitted.

Speaking of farming, one Surprise Valley farmer at last week's forum said that diesel fuel prices are killing his operation. Farmers are paying $5.50 a gallon at the pump for diesel in Cedarville.

"If it goes up anymore, we'll be out of business," he said.

Some farmers use solar to pump ground water or to irrigate their fields. That is always an option, he admitted, and geothermal and solar energy are fine, he said. But how do you use them to plow your fields, he wondered?

One person said that mule and horse-drawn plows might make a comeback. They were serious. Another person jokingly said that 100 million Mexican laborers could do the job. No one laughed.

Meanwhile, the idea of recycling used water to be filtered and used again for drinking water - or at the very least, used for irrigation water - was discussed at last week's forum. 
"We've got to change the way people think about recycled water," said one Surprise Valley resident attending last week's forum.

He said that the water from most treatment plants is cleaner than the stuff coming out of our taps. It's not an appealing thought, he admitted, but perfectly safe. It's our thinking that has to be changed. So don't be surprised to find one day that the stuff you flush might one day be the stuff you drink.

"After all," one forum goer said last week, "the astronauts do it."

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