Reader,

Over the next few weeks, we'll dive into our project's proposed water usage and potential impacts. If you missed our email from last week, you can read the full article on our website here.

Last week we introduced you to Dave Tuthill, co-owner of Idaho Water Engineering and former Director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and Shawn Willsey, Distinguished Professor of Geology at the College of Southern Idaho.

Tuthill and Willsey – have dedicated their careers to understanding Southern Idaho's groundwater resources – and have kindly provided their insights into many of the water questions Magic Valley residents have asked while we await the draft Environmental Impact Statement from the BLM, which is expected to be released in January.

Today's Question:

Will the aquifer be affected by construction or vibrations from the turbines?

"We don't even have groundwater on the north side of the river in this area until you get down to about 250 to 350 feet, on average," explains Willsey. "It's [basalt] pretty sturdy material, so I wouldn't expect that during the construction phase or once they're in place, the rock would be impacted by all the turbines spinning or tower vibrations. A lot of that vibrational energy, I would assume, would be dissipated in the base and not be transmitted very far into the rock. And the rock is okay to be shaken like that. It's not going to crack it and break it."

A hydrogeologic analysis of the project area done in 2021 shows the first encountered water zones in the vicinity of the six proposed wells range from 235 to 665 feet.

"The aquifer in this area is highly transmissive," Tuthill said. "You can think of it like a big bathtub. The drawdown from one well to another well is almost negligible. It's a huge aquifer, and the water requirements for this project are extremely minor relative to the aquifer and relative to any other water use."

Tuthill is also quick to point out that any new wells may be drilled only after obtaining a permit and must be drilled by a licensed well driller – a standard in place to protect the aquifer.

"The proposed well areas must undergo a modeling process to ensure the new wells will not injure the aquifer," he said. "The margin must show close to zero impact to proceed with a new well drill."

Both Willsey and Tuthill have expressed zero concerns for this project regarding the aquifer and groundwater in the Magic Valley, and we're excited to be able to see the results of BLM’s analysis in the EIS.

Next week we'll dive into how the water supply bank works.

We are wishing you and yours a happy Thanksgiving week.

Best,

Luke