Re: power plants use the most water in Wisconsin, by far!

[Ger...@aol.com]

Sorry to "pour cold water" on the headline about water use by power plants, but if you read the article, you will see that most of the water they draw is returned (albeit heated) to the source. So they are not actually consuming water, only using and returning it.

 

As for issues of ground water, drawing down the aquifers and releasing the water after use to the surface and atmosphere (in the case of irrigation) is serious and demands attention to mitigate this loss of a resource. Encouraging to see increased drip irrigation rather than just spraying it into the air, and increased conservation measures by municipalities and individual uses.

 

I like the idea of conservation, and using and treating surface water rather than just sucking down our aquifers.

 

Gerry Flakas

Delafield

 

In a message dated 2/25/2013 10:05:06 P.M. Central Standard Time, water...@hotmail.com writes:

Article and map highlights water use in Wisconsin...which users and how much.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/wisconsin-uses-over-2-trillion-gallons-of-water-a-year-4q8p3fb-192763861.html

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[Brian Gifford]

Just because the water is returned to its source does not mean it is not a use, especially if the quality of that water is degraded.  The heated water that power plants return is degraded in that it contains less oxygen than the cooler water it withdrew.  (Cold water contains less oxygen than warmer water, which can result in fish kills.) Also, power plant water intakes intake more than just water.  Water use by power plants can severely impact aquatic ecosystems.  Here is a short description from NY Riverkeeper:  http://www.riverkeeper.org/campaigns/stop-polluters/power-plants/power-plant-fish-kills/  and the Chicago Tribune: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-06-17/news/ct-met-great-lakes-fish-kills-20110614_1_great-lakes-fish-power-plant-smaller-fish

 

Brian Gifford

Waukesha County Green Team

Promoting Sustainability in Waukesha County - One Community at a Time

www.waukeshacountygreenteam.org 

water...@hotmail.com