A geothermal pumping system in Nevada. Image courtesy of Yale
During their Tuesday, July 11 regular commissioner’s meeting and before their regular agenda, the Chaffee Board of County Commissioners listen to public comments regarding a topic on which no formal action has been taken; the exploration of a potential geothermal energy source beneath the Arkansas River Valley.
Exploration related to geothermal energy has gone on in Chaffee County for at least a decade. For the past year, Ark Valley Voice has covered the topic, including a January 2023 geothermal convening group at Mt. Princeton Hot Springs that involved former Governor Bill Ritter (Democrat) and industry experts.
Geothermal energy is the subject of growing conversations across the West, which has most of the nation’s geothermal resources. During the Western Governor’s Conference, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (chair of the Western Governors’ Conference) spoke at length about the state’s aggressive energy independence goals, and the initiative he calls “The Heat Beneath our Feet.”
While that January meeting included energy experts and policy folks (and news media) it was noticeably short on regular citizenry. This might account for the level of misinformation swirling about in Chaffee County, especially among residents in the subdivision on the east rim of Mt. Princeton, along CR 321 and Rodeo Road near Buena Vista.
Without editorializing on the misinformation contained in these comments, this is a sample of resident comments and concerns; all valid, just needing information, during that BoCC meeting:
“They’re getting ready to put a geothermal plant right here on Mt. Princeton. They’re not pretty, there’s constant noise and constant sound pollution. It would be 1/2 mile from three subdivisions and five miles from the town of Buena Vista,” said one woman.
Referencing some plant in New Mexico she added, “It forces steam, containing toxic hydrogen sulfide, from the wellhead the steam either directly powers turbines or heats a secondary fluid which runs the turbine, cools, then reheated again when reheated, then re-injects it underground … This is a 15.3-megawatt plant that they are coming in with — two wells, seven injection wells – they’ll inject more fluid into the ground than what they bring up.” She concluded, “This would be within a few miles of 1,300 personal wells, next to Mt. Princeton … we’re not here for industry, we’re here for visitors!”
Resident Lisa Myers read a letter from a homeowner in Lost Creek, saying in part: “Mt. Princeton Geothermal LLC has a project on CR 321. We’re concerned about our water rights, which even the test drawing will have on our own private wells leading to unpredictable usage … I’ve spent 52 years living at the end of a mile-long drive to Lost Creek. It’s the best driveway in the county. It is our family’s anchor for five generations … do we really want this valley to become industrial? Now they want a geothermal power plant when there’s a sign at the entry to the county that says ” Now this is Colorado”?
A resident just south of Lost Creek close to Frontier Ranch spoke saying, “When we were informed [they’re] visibly mapping test sites for testing … these map sites are on state trust land. They are on the west side of Rodeo Road and the east side of Rodeo Road. We see the local elk herd there where they are setting up the boundaries. I am learning new facts, and they are troubling facts.”
The next two speakers went on to express a bit of NYMB-ism (Not in my backyard).
One said, “I’m concerned about the geothermal – we’re all for geothermal, but the test sites if they go through east of Rodeo Road, they can begin production for drilling a mile down. Don’t know the impacts — we have 1,900 wells within five miles of this site.” He added that testing the concept was proffered before, but an investor group hadn’t come through with the money.
“Some 500 people signed a petition at the parade last week that said we are not against a geothermal plant but want to reconsider this location,” said another man. “This 50-acre site is quite a few city blocks.”
He went on to remind the meeting of an unproven assertion that it might have impacts on commercial entities: Mt. Princeton Hot Springs and Cottonwood Hot Springs, Mt. Princeton Greenhouse, Frontier Ranch Dear Valley Ranch, and Silver Cliff Ranch.
“There is still a lot we don’t understand about how water moves beneath the surface in the Yellowstone area,” he added. “I’m worried about these people … think about the impacts and the people involved.”
The commissioners appeared somewhat mystified by the hoopla and while they normally don’t comment on general public comment, in this case, they did. They said the amount of specificity regarding plants and megawatts and disruption described by residents is simply not anything that is in process. In fact, nothing is in the planning phases; there isn’t even any funding for a proof of concept.
“This geothermal power plant is not pending,” said Commissioner Keith Baker. “There is a long process we would have to go through before anything would begin.”
“Second, one of the things that guides me and probably my colleagues are the outlines of ecology; the first is nature, and the environment is a web. What impacts one impacts the other,” Baker added, “… There is no such thing as a free lunch. We all want clean air and clean water. We’re concerned about climate change and that might involve geothermal. There will be some costs of some sort …The payment can’t be avoided, it can only be deferred.”
“It would be helpful if we as a county could produce an update as to where we stand with this project – it’s a long way from anything,” said Commissioner Greg Felt. “There are more safeguards available [in Colorado] than the state of New Mexico had. Colorado does have processes in place tied to geothermal wells. I have not seen anything with the level of detail referred to today. So people are speculating. To the extent we can fill in some blanks … we could do a level-setting exercise and figure out how to proceed as a community from there and have reasonable conversations.”
The Commissioners noted that there has been no formal discussion of their stance regarding geothermal energy, and agreed that the county needs to develop a position statement about this energy topic.
Editor’s Note: Mt. Princeton Hot Springs, Mt. Princeton Greenhouse, Frontier Ranch Dear Valley Ranch, and Silver Cliff Ranch are all this reporter’s neighbors. That said, facts not rumors should be front and center in community conversation.
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