Operation of ethanol plants can require the annual appropriation of more than 500 million gallons of water for a single facility.  If this volume is derived from groundwater resources, the area water supply, including nearby municipal, industrial, commercial, irrigation or residential water supply wells, can be can impacted.  A key concern consistently expressed by local landowners and regulators in public meetings held during the siting and permitting phases of a project, is the potential impact of ethanol production on area natural resources including groundwater and surface water. 

This workshop will review a number of topics associated with ethanol production, including natural resource impacts and specifically water use.  Areas to be discussed include:

• A review of ethanol production including the industry’s history, markets and economics, feedstocks, processes and multi media permitting requirements;
  
• Protocols developed for completing siting studies commonly referred to as Fatal Flaws Analysis.  Fatal Flaws Analyses are completed on both greenfield and brownfield sites to assess potential site specific limitations that could prevent construction on a given site, cause significant time delays or result in a significant monetary expenditure to develop the site.  Key areas reviewed include utility support, the site’s physical setting, cultural factors, and the regulatory  permitting requirements ;
  
• Completion of site-specific hydrogeologic studies.  Case studies will be presented that focused on characterization of local hydrogeologic conditions and determining aquifer chemistry, yield, long-term response and potential interference/mitigation issues.  Preventative measures to reduce disruption of existing groundwater supply systems and surface water bodies will be discussed, and the technologies utilized to monitor the long-term aquifer response; and
  
• Future trends in ethanol production and water use. Speakers will discuss measures that have been employed at various sites to reduce impacts and measures that are being considered to reduce water use at sites, and improve or eliminate water discharge