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Geothermal Resources Council, TRANSACTIONS Vol. 7, October '1 983

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY - THE RATIONAL ECOLOGICAL CHOICE

James L. Moore Joseph G. La Fleur

Cal ifortiia Energy Company, Inc. Santa Rosa, Cal ifornia

ation mode, it will be necessary to implement new techniques and thinking within the exploi- ABSTRACT tation and development mode. This effort will necessitate creation of a greater awareness As the geothermal industry begins to take an within the governmental planning and admini- appropriately serious look at the geothermal strative agencies of the economic and environ- power potential of the Cascades, it becomes mental viability of the resource. It is the essential that a high degree of cooperation be intent of this paper to briefly identify some achieved between power companies, environmental of these environmental advantages which enhance groups, regulatory agencies, and geothermal the desirability of developing electrical grade developers. Such cooperation will facilitate geothermal resources. efficient resource utilization with an accompany- ing assurance of minimal environmental sacrifice. It is equally important that energy planners ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS : become fully aware of the probable potential capacity, quality and economic viability of the Two kinds of environmental costs are Cascades geothermal resources. These planners incurred in the development of energy sources: must also realize that geothevmal energy is a (1) the direct, operations-related costs logical and ecologically acceptable choice as the incurred by both the developer and the public source for future power needs. In keeping with regulatory agencies in ensuring compliance with the environmental concerns and commitments of the operating and reporting mandates of environ- general populous of the Pacific Northwest, geo- mental regulations, and (2) the less quanti- thermal energy can provide economical, clean, f iable environmental costs associated with the safe electrical power at significantly less cost commitment of our natural resources. to the environment than hydroelectric, nuclear or fossil fuel plants. The environmental impact of ODerations-related Environmental Costs: geothermal development has already been minimized throughout much of the Cascades by the extensive Because a1 1 direct, resource development access road network of the logging industry. and operational costs are ultimately borne by There is a high degree of compatibility between the energy consumer, these costs must be min- geothermal development and existing land use imized wherever possible. Cooperation among within commercial forests, and coexistence land management offices, regulatory agencies, between the two is consistent with the national environmental groups, power companies and objective of mu1 tiple-use forests. geothermal developers, based on the recognition that goals are essentially shared, can substan- INTRODUCTION tially reduce the cost of . Those governmental entities responsi ble for The Cascade Range contains an abundance of ensuring compliance with environmental mandates young volcanic rocks and structures. Recent and the associated requirement for data col- volcanic peaks extend from Mt. Meager in the lection can reduce operations costs by avoiding north to Mts. Shasta and Lassen in the south. dupl ication of efforts. Environmental groups Active tectonism has produced a myriad of inter- and governmental agencies can further minimize secting fracture/faul t systems that traverse the these costs by careful comparison of project- entire range. Water supply is abundant. The specific environmental effects with alternative basic geological parameters necessary to produce sites and sources. Subsequently, responsible excellent geothermal systems are present. decisions can be made to define those unique areas which require special protection and In spite of this probable abundance of geo- concentrate efforts there. thermal resources, 1i ttle has actual ly been accomplished within this geological province to Agencies and/or authors of environmental define economic viability. Several scenarios can impact reports should be aware of the potential be presented to account for this lack of success- for imposition of substantial unnecessary ful effort. Basic exploration will require new project delays and resultant increased costs thinking and subsequently new geological and geo- when unfounded "what ifs" are included within physical techniques. In addition to new geologi- official environmental documents. One such cal and geophysical techniques within the explor-

3 61 Moore/La Fleur "what if" comment that the rare and endangered Hand1 ing, transportation, storage and ultimate Peregrine Falcon might nest on near disposal of nuclear wastes, in addition to The resulted in halting all geothermal operation and final decommissioning of the development in that area for several years, reactors themselves, present unresolved impacts despite the fact that no Peregrine falcon had to the environment. In addition to those ever actually been sighted there. After several factors generally considered environmental years of extensive field work, an expert orni- impacts, nuclear power development can also thologist concluded that the cliffs of Cobb precipitate financial hazards. Financial Mountain would be an unlikely nesting site for hazards are not fully considered in environ- fa1cons because of accessi bi1 ity to bobcats--and niental impact analyses. Financial burdens on that drilling activity would probably not have geographical areas, especially when such bur- significantly impacted the falcons, had they dens exceed the financial capability of such actually nested there. areas to service that debt, can induce severe negative economic repercussions. According to Legislative and regulatory bodies can reduce a May 1983 CBS Evening News report, the environmental related expense by relying on the Washington Pub1 ic Power Supply System's five expertise of the land and forest administrators nuclear plants have had cost overruns of 500% in the field. Local foresters and land use ($24 Billion currently projected vs.. $4 Billion experts are better qualified to judge land use- originally budgeted). Three of the originally impact on specific areas under their charge than scheduled plants have been mothballed in an are distant regulatory or legislative bodies. incomplete status and the remaining two, which Proposed legislation to establ ish geothermal are both nearly complete, may never be commis- "buffer zones" around National Parks is an sioned. It should be further noted that after example of unnecessary "blanket legislation" that only 13 years of operation, PG&E's Humboldt Bay would not be universally appropriate. The stated nuclear plant is being decommissioned. The purpose of the legislation is to preserve the decision to decommission the plant was reached unique geothermal phenomena specific to those by PG&E after they learned it would require parks. Considering some of the arguments used to $446 million to restart the plant after a support such legislation, the real question normal shutdown for refueling. Decommissioning becomes whether the actual purpose of the pro- the Humboldt Bay nuclear plant will require 30 posed legislation is not simply a method of hin- years and at least $49 million to accomplish dering or ha1 ting geothermal development. according to a PG&E spokesperson. Such real financial potentialities and reasonable alter- Leasing and permitting delays, with their natives need to be considered along with other resultant increased cost and longer turnaround "environmental" considerations prior to initia- time on project development and investment, can tion of all power projects. be minimized by dealing on a specific-location basis. Geothermal developers working closely FOSSIL FUEL with responsible administrative agencies can reduce the costs of administrative and permitting A recent National Academy of Sciences- delays, environmental 1 itigation, and costly National Research Council report confirmed that mitigation of some negative impacts through "There is a direct link between sulfur-dioxide responsible exploration planning that results in spewed from coal-fired boilers and the death of the early recognition and avoidance of truly lakes in the United States and Canada. . . . unique, sensitive or pristine environments. the occurrence of acid rain . . . appears to be roughly proportional to the annual emissions of Costs of Commitment of Natural Resources sulfur dioxide from power plants. . .I' (AP Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 6/28/83). Fossil Cost is a priority consideration in the fuel powered generators, like nuclear plants, selection of energy sources. Cost comparisons, require extraction and refinement of the however, can be incorrect and misleading if the resource at distant points and subsequent actual cost to the environment is not included. transportation to the local plant site where it In evaluating actual environmental costs, it is is used to fuel conventional steam boilers. imperative that comparison's be made between all There is no reason to risk the economic and sources of energy including nuclear, fossil , hydro- supply vagaries of oil, the environmental electric, and geothermal. impacts of coal mining, or the fouling of the air of the Pacific Northwest with fossil fuel plants when geothermal steam a1 ready occurs NUCLEAR naturally in the Cascades.

Recent accidents, such as occurred at Three HYDROELECTRIC Mile Island and Browns Ferry power plants, demon- strate that nuclear power can present a substan- Although rivers of the northwest have long tial, real, long-term hazard to the environment. provided the bulk of the region's electric Non-plant site impacts, such as mining and power, an adequate assessment of the environ- processing of ore, a1 though accomplished at sites mental costs of hydroelectric power has never remote to the actual plant, need to be fully been made. There are presently over 2,600 dams considered in all nuclear development planning. built by the Army Corps of Engineers, alone, in

362 Moore/La Fleur .. . , , Washington, Montana, and The Lower Columbia is essentially a continuous Idaho. (Folden, 1983). This regional profusion reservoir from Bonneville Dam, 35 miles east of of dams has had a devastating effect on salmon Portland, to the Canadian border. and steelhead populations. Such dams not only impede the upstream migration of adult fish Like nuclear power plants, the reservoi rs returning to spawning beds in the tributaries, held by large dams can, over time, present real but many of the young fry are immediately killed community hazards. Although the incidence of or sufficientlytraumatizedby their passage dam failures are infrequent compared to the through the turbine blades that they die on their total number of dams, the possibility of dam way downstream to the sea. Even more fish are failure increases with each new reservoir and killed by formatiom of bubbles in their blood- with the aging of existing dams. All of the streams resulting from intake of excess entrained communities along the Lower Columbia, including atmospheric gases in spillway waters below large much of Portland and Vancouver, would be dams. (Schneider, 1983). severely impacted by failure of any of the large dams on that river. The north end of The general costs of hydroelectric power do Bonneville Dam ties into the toe of an ancient not include the value of environmental and recrea- landslide roughly 30 square miles in area. tional losses incurred by damming rivers. To That single slide at one time, temporarily attribute only positive recreational value to a dammed the Columbia. Were a similar slide to specific reservoir without also including nega- occur today along any of the many miles of the tive costs from loss of recreational and Col umbi a Gorge reservoi r , overtopping and aesthetic values because of creek and river subsequent flooding would occur. bottoms is biased and misleading. This is especially true when natural lakes and existing Drainages very commonly follow fault flood control reservoirs are currently available zones; therefore, dams and the resultant reser- locally and while creek bottoms and free running voirs are generally associated with such zones streams are at a premium. Furthermore, dams of crustal weakness. Three dams located within disrupt the natural sediment transport along the broadly defined Eugene-Denio faul t zone rivers, requiring expensive dredging and addi- hold back reservoirs capable of flooding much tional damming. Over the next five years, at of the Eugene-Springfield metropolis as well as least two million dollars will be spent to con- urban developments a1 ong the 1ower Wi11 amette struct one such sediment control dam on the River. Should any significant movement occur Trinity River (Eastin, 1983, p. 4). along the Eugene-Denio fault- zone, any or all of these dams would be subject to failure. As the number of reservoirs on our streams increases, so must the value of the remaining Unlike nuclear and hydroelectric power, free and natural rivers increase. It is not geothermal power does not present safety logical for the people of the Pacific Northwest hazards to nearby communities. Even in the to forfeit their surviving wild rivers to supply event of the worst conceivable disaster at a future energy needs when the energy of their geothermal steam field, only those people at volcanoes remains untapped. An example of this the site would be at risk. kind of illogical action is seen in Califorilia, where, through the efforts of various water and GEOTHERMAL power agencies, five beautiful northern California tivers were removed from the Federal Geothermal developers in the Cascades have protection of Wild and Scenic River status, leav- the advantage of the substantial experience ing them susceptible to hydroelectric exploita- gained from previous geothermal projects. Many tion. Another similar example is the proposed of the early industry problems have been solved 200 ft. addition to . Current plans and initial fears for the environment have been call for the reservoir capacity to double, allayed. forcing the relocation of roads, including Interstate 5, railroads, and hundreds of small The largest environmental cost in geother- businesses and homes. The estimated cost of this mal development is surface disruption from project is over three billion dollars (Candish, construction of roads, drill pads, transmission 1983). This same northern California region has lines, and power plant sites. In the Cascades, available to it the untapped energy resources much of this environmental cost has already offered by the massive volcanic heat sources of been paid to facilitate the timber industry. areas adjacent to Mt. Lassen, Mt. Shasta, Use of existing logging roads and log landings Medicine Lake Highlands, and the Modoc Plateau. for geothermal exploration and development will Similarly, the proposed dam site on the beautiful minimize the need for new road or plant site North Fork of the Willamette River in Oregon is construction. Where new surface disruption is only a few miles from a profusion of young necessary, proper engineering can mitigate volcanic vents along the axis of the range. resultant impacts.

The hydroelectric power resources of the At The Geysers, the most intensively Pacific Northwest have been substantially developed field in the northwest, wildlife has exploited. There are currently over 397 power not suffered a substantial negative impact. plants in operation (Folden, 1983). The Columbia Birds of prey, especially red-tailed hawks, are River Drainage system alone supports 74 dams. common and are occasionally observed riding the

3 63 Moore/La Fleur ascending steam plumes to gain altitude on coo 9 still days. Bobcats, coyotes and feral pigs a e also frequently seen. The deer population at he Geysers has benefitted from reseeding the road cuts and drill pads with grass and replacing coarse chaparral brush with new growth. Wild1 fe census, conducted by the California Department of Fish and Game, show denser deer populations in developed areas than in surrounding undeveloped lands. The deer appear unaffected by the wells and pipelines and have even been observed sniffing steam from a bleed valve.

Steam from The Geysers has had minor negative effects on vegetation and then only in those small areas of direct contact. However, to mitigate that problem and to comply with air qual ity regulations, "scrubbers" are now installed on all new power plants. These steam cleaning facilities remove sulfur from the steam before release to the atmosphere. Sulfur removal efficiencies of over 99% have been demonstrated with the Stretford process (California Energy Commission, 1981, p. 70) and new catalytic processes. under development promise to be even more efficient. Although it is anticipated that geothermal systems dis- Figure 1. Earthsat image of Crater Lake Park covered within the Cascades will be extremely boundaries defined by density differences due low in total dissolved solids and non- to logging activities. condensable gases , this resource character- istic, coupled with new scrubber technology wi11 miti gate any non-condensabl e gas problems CONCLUSION to environmental ly acceptable 1eve1 s. should become a major As has been noted earlier in this paper, contributor to the electric power requirements the majority of potential geothermal resource of the Pacific Northwest. In order to make the sites are located in areas which have been or potential of this resource an economic reality, will be commercially logged. Most national and a cooperative effort by explorers , developers , state parks as well as public recreation lands power distributors, regulators and planners is are a1 so located amidst similar commercial lands. required. Actual demonstration of these As can be seen in Figure 1, the boundaries of resources will come with time but can be Crater Lake National Park and adjoining national expedited by assurance of market through proper forests, defined by the absence or presence of energy planning. logging activity, are clearly discernible in satellite imagery taken from over 1,400 miles Environmentally conscious groups and above the earth. Such mu1 tiple use compatibility agencies should encourage energy planners to has been and should continue to be an important foster geothermal development. The compara- objective of national , state and local planners. tively minor environmental sacrifices required for geothermal development within the Cascades Geothermal power plants and related opera- are minimized by the extensive network of tions are quiet and can be concealed from most access roads already constructed for past and views by taking advantage of local topography and continuing log ing activity. Contrarily, the tree cover. Only the steam plumes will be environmental ?and financial) sacrifices visible from afar, and such plumes are not par- required for the installation of new nuclear, ticularly distracting. Those who have witnessed hydro, and fossil fuel electrical generating the beauty of natural steam plumes in places like facilities are becoming excessive. Development Yosemi te; Kilauea; Steamboat Springs , Nevada; of electrical grade geothermal resources is a Valley of a Thousand Smokes, Alaska, or, per- logical choice for future power requirements of iodically, the summits of various Cascade peaks, the Pacific Northwest. have a forehand impression of what the geothermal steam plumes will look like. REFERENCES

Associated Press, June 28, 1983, The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, CA.

Calif. Energy Commission, Calif. Dept. of Water Resources , 1981, South Geysers Geothermal Power Plant, Sonoma, CAY Final E.I.R., 81-AFC-2, Sacramento, CA.

3 64 Moore/La Fleur

References cont'd.

Candlish, Alan, 1983, Oral Communication, Bureau of Reclamation, Sacramento, CA.

Eastin, Howard H., 1983, Report of Activity of the Department of Water Resources, The Resources Agency , Sacramento , CA. Folden, Nolan, 1983. Oral Communication, Army Corp. of Engineers, Portland, OR.

Pruett, Greg, June 28, 1983, P.G & E. to Scrap Humboldt Bay N-plant, The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, CA.

Schneider, Mark, 1983, Oral Communication, Northwest Power Planning Council, Port1and, OR.

Thorpe, Norman, May 27, 1983, W.P.P.S.S. to Decide Fate of Plant No. 3, The Wall Street Journal , Western Edition, , CA. p. 6.

3 65