Experts differ about ethanol-water usage

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – The growing thirst for ethanol takes a lot of water to quench, but less than many people believe and not enough to cause serious problems, experts told farmers.

Last year in Nebraska, the nation’s third-leading ethanol producer, it took 2 billion gallons of water at 15 ethanol plants to churn out 676 million gallons of the alternative fuel, Derrel Martin, an irrigation and water resources engineer said Thursday.


But roughly 900 billion gallons of rain water falls annually in Lincoln County, Martin said, addressing the public perception that ethanol production takes an inordinate amount of water.

“These plants are not consuming a huge amount of water,” he said.

Martin spoke during an agriculture conference in North Platte that focused on water. Nebraska is aggressively pushing development of ethanol plants and is poised to become the second-leading producer in the country later this year. At the same time, it is struggling to meet water demands of its farmers and those in neighboring states who rely on water that passes through Nebraska.

AP