Response to Sioux Falls Argus Leader guest column
Editor, Argus Leader–
I am responding to a letter (“New breed of water hogs threaten to suck state dry”) authored by Mary Jo Stueve that appeared in the June 19, 2007, edition of the Argus Leader. Ms. Stueve questions the appropriateness of the Big Stone II Project in light of contemporary issues such as global warming and, in particular, water usage.
Ms. Stueve contends that Big Stone II will need “massive amounts of water.”
While it is true that the plant will require a great deal of water for electricity generation and operation of the wet flue gas desulfurization unit, that requirement must be evaluated within the context of the available water resource and the plant’s impact on other water users and the regional environment. When considered in that manner, our water need is certainly reasonable.
Big Stone Unit I, which has generated electricity since 1975, uses water from Big Stone Lake. The water is stored in a pond on the Big Stone site. When the level of Big Stone Lake falls below 967 feet in elevation, only limited pumping for Big Stone Unit I is allowed. That restriction will not change with the addition of Big Stone II, for which we received a water permit on July 12, 2006. Furthermore, the addition of Big Stone II will cause no significant change in the flow rate of the Minnesota River.
On March 28, 2007, the Big Stone II participants applied to the South Dakota Department of Energy and Natural Resources to take up to 10,000 acre feet per year from the Veblen Aquifer for a supplemental water supply. A recent hydrological study revealed that withdrawal from the aquifer would not adversely impact existing water rights. Using groundwater will, in fact, allow us to avoid having to construct a costly 450-acre holding pond on the Big Stone site.
So, in contrast to Ms. Stueve’s characterization of the Big Stone II Project as adding “more strain to a limited and already strained South Dakota resource,” the Big Stone site has exhibited more than 30 years of responsible water use and we are committed to continue that practice in compliance with our permits.
Sincerely,
Daniel Sharp
Communication Manager
Big Stone II Project
(218) 739-8576
(701) 426-3650 (Cellular)
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