MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011 Vol. 131, No. 116 The Voice of Salida and the Upper Arkansas Valley 50 cents

H 54 L 33

Partly sunny, 20

percent chance

of showers.

Division of Wildlife seeks

poaching case information See page 3

County considers mag

chloride supplier bidsSee page 14

Forecast

Monarch Mountain conducted its sixth annual Kayaks on Snow Boatercross Saturday.

Josh Bechtal splashed the audience when he entered the pool at the bottom of the luge

run. See more photos page 9.

Photo by Cailey McDermott

Bechtal hits the slopes with a splashNew Salida Police Depart-

ment employee Rob Martel-laro, a local native, is a famil-iar face because he previously served 13 years from 1991-2004.

His first day back in uni-form was March 23 for the first time in six years.

“It’s like riding a bike,” he said, “you pick it up.”

With 19 years of experience in law enforcement, he said, his most fun job was “work-ing the streets in the early ’90s.”

When Martellaro started law enforcement career he said he was trained by “main-stays,” or veteran officers.

“In 1991 it was a real differ-ent time. Being on the force five or six years meant you were still a rookie. I was so fortunate to be taught back then.”

After leaving his job as a an investigator with the Sal-ida department at the end of 2004, “without hard feel-ings,” Martellaro worked as an investigator with the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s

office. That was followed by two and

a half years with the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office.

“The funny thing is, when I left I kind of knew I’d be back, perhaps not so early in my career, but I kept my retirement here. I’ve always felt this was my department.”

Martellaro is a patrol offi-cer, but said, “In a small department you end up doing a lot of your own investigat-ing.”

He said it’s been a “smooth” transition.

“I didn’t think it would feel this comfortable, also this new (office in the Touber Building) is so much better,” Martellaro said.

Police Chief Terry Clark said, “We’re very thankful to have (Martellaro). We’ve been running pretty thin for awhile to cover all the shifts; it’s been a challenge. So this is good news for us – we’re excited.”

Martellaro said, “I have another 15-20 years to my career, and I hope this is my last stop because I don’t think there’s a better place on the planet to live.”

Photo by Cailey McDermott

Newly hired by Salida Police Department but not new to the

city uniform, native Rob Martellaro had his first return day on

the job March 23.

Martellaro returns

to Salida Police by Cailey McDermott Mail Staff Writer

Failing to live up to its reputation as the snowiest month, March in Salida con-

tinued a seven-month dry period with a total of .13 inch of precipitation.

Historical average for the month is .73 inch of moisture.

March fails to live up to its snowy reputation by Shelley MayerMail Staff Writer

Editor’s note: As efforts to develop clean energy sourc-es gather steam, geothermal resources in and around Chaffee County have come under increasing scrutiny as a source of emission-free elec-tricity.

Colorado voters approved renewable energy mandates for electric utility companies, but efforts to promote develop-ment of geothermal resources have raised worry among local residents and business own-ers.

This five-part series attempts to address these issues by pro-viding an overview of informa-tion available from scientists studying geothermal resourc-es and government agencies responsible for overseeing those resources.

Geothermal energy is heat from the Earth, and archae-ologists and historians believe humans in North America have taken advantage of the resource for at least 10,000 years.

With the advent of elec-tric power, the geothermal resources came under consid-eration as an energy source for generating electricity.

In 1904 Prince Ginori Conti

tested the first geothermal power generator in Larderel-lo, Italy, and in 1911 the first geothermal power plant was built nearby.

Geothermal technologyThe Larderello plant used

naturally occurring steam to power a generator and is now referred to as a “dry-steam” system.

In “100 Years of Geother-mal Power Production,” John Lund reports the Larderello resource accounts for more than 5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

But few locations have tem-peratures hot enough to sup-port dry-steam power gen-eration, and the first “flash-steam” system went on-line in 1958 in New Zealand, Lund reported.

Flash-steam power plants use high-pressure hot water from deep geothermal wells. Under reduced pressure, the water converts to steam to drive generator turbines.

The U.S. Energy Informa-tion Administration reported most geothermal power plants now use flash-steam technol-ogy.

In 1967, Lund said, the first “binary-cycle” geothermal power plant began producing electricity in eastern Siberia.

Binary power plants gener-ate electricity by transferring

heat from geothermal water to a liquid with a lower boil-ing point. The heat causes the second liquid to vaporize and turn a turbine attached to a generator.

This closed-loop system returns all geothermal water to the underground reservoir, which maintains the resource and produces no emissions, not even steam.

Because binary power plants can produce electricity at lower temperatures than flash-steam systems, the tech-nology expands the potential geothermal resource pool.

U.S. Department of Ener-gy data shows binary power plants operate in countries throughout the world and sev-eral states, including Califor-nia, Idaho, Utah and Nevada.

To produce electricity, all three types of power plant require some form of water to transport heat from deep in the Earth to the power plant on the surface. Another requirement is hot, porous rock that heats the water and allows it to flow.

Subterranean heat is fre-quently associated with dry, nonporous rock formations with no natural water source to bring the heat to the sur-face. In many cases this prob-lem can be addressed with

by Joe StoneMail Staff Writer

Geothermal has long history

Please see DRY, back page Please see UTES, back page

PAGE 16 — THE MOUNTAIN MAIL — SALIDA, COLORADO — MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2011

Dick Dixon collection

Antero Hotel, eventually Mount Princeton Hot Springs Hotel, started as a small rustic build-

ing and represents the earliest documented commercial use of the geothermal water. Guests

who came to soak in the hot springs wanted more elegant accommodations, and construc-

tion of this building began in 1888. It was finally completed in 1917, but in 1926 the Colorado

and Southern Railroad removed its rails and the hotel fell into disuse.

Although scattered rain-drops, snowflakes and grau-pel occurred several times, measurable precipitation was recorded twice – .05 inch March 8 and .08 inch March 13.

Salida January-March pre-cipitation was .62 inch, nearly an inch less than the histori-cal average of 1.59 inches.

From September through March, Salida totaled 1.61 inches of moisture compared to the historical average of 4.56 inches.

Coupled with strong wind, dry conditions in March caused the National Weather Service to declare frequent Red Flag Warning days for Chaffee County, along with much of eastern Colorado.

Except for wind, March weather was relatively mild. Unlike the adage “in like a

lion, out like a lamb,” the month entered with a high of 55 degrees and exited with a high of 64 degrees.

In between, temperatures in the 50s and 60s prevailed, and the monthly average fin-ished slightly warmer than the historical average.

Average high for the month was 55 degrees and average low was 28.5, compared to his-torical averages of 52.1 and 20.9 degrees. Average daily temperature was 37.7 degrees compared to the historical average of 36.5 degrees.

Temperatures and precipi-tation for March were mea-sured by equipment outside The Mountain Mail office in downtown Salida.

Historical Salida averages, from 1997-2009, are calculat-ed from data maintained by the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University.

“enhanced geothermal sys-tems.”

Using oil and gas technolo-gy, wells are drilled into deep, hot rock formations, and cold water is injected to fracture the rock. After rock is suffi-ciently fractured, water circu-lates through the engineered underground reservoir.

Production wells are drilled to bring heated water to the surface where it can be used in a binary power plant and reinjected to the reservoir where it is reheated before being pumped back to the sur-face and reused.

Enhanced geothermal sys-tems are in use in France and Germany, but the technolo-gy has experienced setbacks, including termination of a project in Basel, Switzerland, that generated earthquakes strong enough to cause minor property damage.

The Mount Princeton resource

When explorers and immi-grants arrived in central

Colorado in the early to mid-1800s, they encountered bands of Utes who, for centu-ries, believed area hot springs were sacred.

They used the hot mineral water for healing and ceremo-nial bathing.

In “Salida, The Early Years,” Eleanor Fry reports visitors and settlers in the area have soaked in hot water from springs at the foot of Mount Princeton since the late 1860s.

Springs at the foot of Mount Princeton were known as Chalk Creek Hot Springs. As early as 1868, Dr. J.G. Stuart claimed the lower spring for personal use and built a cabin.

By 1877 there were two rough “hotels” advertising in local newspapers that the hot springs were “good for rheu-matism and kidney ailments.”

Direct use of the geothermal resource expanded through the years to include space heating and hot water for homes and businesses.

Paul Morgan, senior geo-thermal geologist with Colo-

rado Geological Survey, said in a recent interview that AMAX Exploration Co. began investigating Mount Princ-eton geothermal sources in 1973 by drilling shallow 300-500-foot test holes.

Morgan has participated in various studies of the Mount Princeton resource and said AMAX recorded the highest temperature gradient – the rate at which temperature increases with depth – in Colorado.

But as earlier reported by The Mountain Mail, tempera-ture was too low for a flash-steam power plant, prompting AMAX to end drilling in 1975.

Since then, binary technol-ogy development rekindled interest in local geothermal resources and Colorado has its first geothermal lease – 799 acres underlying private land near Mount Princeton Hot Springs.

Dry conditions, wind prompt red fl ag warnings

Continued from FRONT page

Utes used mineral water for healing Continued from FRONT page

TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2011 Vol. 131, No. 117 The Voice of Salida and the Upper Arkansas Valley 50 cents

H 71 L 40

Mostly sunny,

wind gusts up to

30 mph.

Federal gas leases

remain idle in ColoradoSee page 3

City of Salida seeks

customer billing opinionsSee page 6

Forecast

A Parlor Queen pump organ made by Willow Reed Organ Co. of Chicago in about 1900 has a new home at the Salida Museum.

Vernelle Austin, donor, said the organ has been in her fam-ily since about 1906 when her aunt, Sallie Hawkins, bought it in Kentucky. Selling price, according to literature about that model, shows it sold for $150.

When Hawkins moved to McCook, Neb., with her par-ents, Caleb L. and Florence T. Hawkins (Austin’s grand-parents), she had the organ shipped by rail.

“My Aunt Sallie was a nurse and went to the Philip-pines as a missionary,” Austin said. “I don’t recall my grand-mother ever playing the organ

although it was always in their house.”

Austin worked for the Bureau of Land Management in California, McCook, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia for the Nile River Basin Study, and in Alaska.

By the time she was trans-ferred to Salida in 1962 to work on the Frying Pan Arkansas project, she had inherited the organ and brought it with her.

“I never played it either,” she said. “I thought the muse-um would be a good place for it, where other people can enjoy it.”

The organ is a beautiful instrument with ornate carv-ings and designs typical of turn-of-the-19th-century fur-niture.

Barbara McCoy, a friend of Austin, asked Rod Schleicher of Salida if he would be will-

by Arlene ShovaldMail Staff Writer

Parlor Queen pump

organ fi nds home

at Salida Museum

Area fire danger is equal to or greater than during the 2002 drought summer, but has arrived a month earlier than usual.

Chris Naccarato, U.S. Forest Service moun-tain zone fire management officer, warned Monday that “looking at trends, we are on par with, if not drier than 2002, but a month ahead of time.”

He said if the area receives April showers, they will moderate the danger.

“As soon as things green up, it will reduce the fire danger, particularly in the valley bot-tom,” he said.

Chaffee County Fire Protection District Chief Jim Wingert said in spite of trace amounts of moisture Saturday and Sunday, fire danger at low elevations remains high because of wind.

Bureau of Land Management public affairs representative Cassandra Cairns said higher temperature expected this week will contrib-ute to the high fire rating and added, “any kind of moisture is a temporary reprieve.”

She encouraged county residents to pay attention to fire bans because they can change daily. If not sure about current restrictions, people should call the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center at 539-2814.

In Fremont County, people may call the sheriff’s office at (719) 276-5555.

Officials in both counties said so far there are no burn restrictions within either county, but open burning within Salida city limits is always banned.

Chaffee County ordinances for burning are at www.chaffeecounty.org. Regulations for western Fremont County are at www.fremont-co.com.

Residents considering burning are advised

to notify their local fire department and the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office non-emer-gency line at 539-2596 or (719) 784-3411 for western Fremont County before commencing burning.

Wingert said he recommends extreme cau-tion and performing burning as early as pos-sible in the morning before shifting wind begins.

He said people should have a plentiful water supply, extra people on hand to supervise the burn, and be prepared to extinguish the fire quickly if wind escalates.

Because of snowpack above 9,000 feet, Wing-ert said fire danger there is low.

Cairns said people living near wildland can minimize risk to firefighters and increase public safety by creating a fire-wise area as part of their annual outdoor spring cleaning routine.

She suggested minimizing vegetation build-up around houses and outbuildings by remov-ing dead leaves, pine needles and branches.

Although this doesn’t offer a 100-percent guarantee if there is a wind-driven event, she said residents who have taken those precau-tions stand a better chance of safety for them-selves and their property.

Fire danger remains highby Erika Kastner Mail Staff Writer Monthly Prcp. Actual

September .26 October .53 November .14 December .06 January .04February .45March .13Total 1.61

Sept. March historic average prcp. 4.56

Editor’s note: This article is the second in a five-part series on geothermal resource devel-opment in south central Colo-rado.

Mike Batzle, professor of geophysics at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, was already bringing students to Chaffee County for geophysics field camps when interest in geothermal resources rekin-dled.

The field camp in Chaffee County began in 2005 and is a requirement for students in specified degree programs. It provides hands-on training that can’t be duplicated on campus, Batzle said.

Gathering data to support water management has been

by Joe StoneMail Staff Writer

Photo by Joe Stone

Colorado School of Mines geophysics professor Mike Batzle

explains a technique used to identify underground water flow

at Poncha Hot Springs during the geophysics field camp last

year. The camp will be held in Idaho this year.

Field camp offers hands-on training

See VOLUNTEERS, back page See GEOTHERMAl, back page

The body of Tristen Dan-iel Hagen, 15 of Buena Vista, missing since April 2, was found about 5:30 p.m. Monday by family members searching atop a ridge near Skyline Drive.

Fremont County Coro-ner Dr. Dorothy Twellman released the name of the boy, but indicated no cause of death has been deter-mined.

Cañon City Police Offi-cers reported they took a runaway report Saturday about Hagen who was visit-ing relatives in Cañon City during spring break.

Preliminary information indicated the youth may have developed a relation-ship with a Cañon City woman.

Officers interviewed the

woman who told them she knew the youth through contact with family mem-bers, but was unaware of where he was or might be.

Family members told offi-cials the boy liked to hike in the hills around Skyline Drive, known locally as “the hog backs.”

The family unsuccessful-ly searched the hog backs and Skyline Drive area Sunday. Fremont County Search and Rescue per-sonnel assisted with the search Monday.

A t a b o u t 5 : 3 0 p . m . Hagen’s body was located by family members on top of one of the ridges east of Skyline Drive.

Investigators from the Fremont County Combined Investigator’s Response Team have assumed the lead in the investigation.

BV teenager

found dead by Dick DixonMail Copy Editor

ing to restore the organ and he was quick to volunteer.

“I’m a reed organ freak,” he said with a big smile. “The organ is in good shape. There was no mouse damage. Just a few things needed to be re-glued and re-attached. I was happy to take on the project.”

Volunteers at Salida Muse-um cleaned and oiled the wood and said the organ looks almost like new.

Bob Campbell, vice presi-dent of the Salida Museum

and a volunteer, said, “We’re excited to have the organ and we plan to have Rod back from time to time to play it.

“This type of organ was sold

by Methodist ministers then to make a little extra money.”

More information about Sal-ida Museum and its displays is at www.salidamuseum.org.

PAGE 16 — THE MOUNTAIN MAIL — SALIDA, COLORADO — TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2011

a field camp focus from the beginning, and Batzle said it made sense to begin including geothermal features as inter-est increased.

One reason for renewed interest is a 2006 Massachu-setts Institute of Technology report, “The Future of Geo-thermal Energy.”

The study estimates that enhanced geothermal systems could provide the national power grid with more than 100 gigawatts of generating capacity in the next 50 years. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that’s a third of existing capacity from coal-fired power plants.

Renewed interest after the MIT study attracted more than $800,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy for a research and development project headed by School of Mines professors Batzle and André Revil working with Boise State University profes-sors Kasper van Wijk and Lee Liberty.

Financing is earmarked for development of imaging tech-nology to identify water flow in fractured rock thousands of feet deep, Batzle said.

The overarching goal is to identify locations for enhanced geothermal development, he said.

Enhanced geothermal sys-tems require injecting fluid into hot underground rock to create fractures. After rock is fractured, water can be inject-ed and pumped back to the surface after it has been heat-ed by the hot rock.

Geophysics Field Camp sup-ports the project by gather-ing data helping refine and validate imaging technology, Batzle said.

The imaging project will provide an overall under-standing of the Mount Princ-

eton geothermal system and “identify potential drill sites to optimize the geothermal yield of the valley,” according to the energy department on-line project description.

It gives students a real-world problem to which they must apply classroom knowledge, Batzle said. Stu-dents have used a variety of techniques to help map underground water and heat resources.

Electrodes on the ground can identify hot water flow within 60 feet of the surface, including “one really big one up above Deer Valley Ranch near the (Chalk) Cliffs,” Bat-zle said.

Batzle said the dramatic white cliffs consist not of chalk but kaolinite, “an alteration of granite that indicates a stable hydrothermal system active for thousands of years.”

Field camp students have also been gathering data on deeper features using seismic and gravity imaging that can provide a subsurface map to the bottom of the basin, Bat-zle said.

He said field camp stud-ies are not directly concerned with hot water flow, but with deep geologic structure of the basin at the northern end of the Rio Grande Rift.

The rift formed where tec-tonic plates were pulling apart. Near Mount Princeton, hot water reaches the surface along fractures at intersecting faults.

From a scientific viewpoint, Batzle said, researchers are “more interested in what’s happening in the center of the valley.”

He said a deep borehole is needed to determine if the geothermal resource is hot enough to support generation of electricity. He said state-owned land near the center of

the valley could be a potential location for drilling.

Drilling on the Colorado-owned parcel would require state approval, but the loca-tion would have none of the split-estate issues that gener-ated protests from landown-ers potentially affected by the Mount Princeton geothermal lease.

In Basel, Switzerland, an enhanced geothermal proj-ect was canceled after being linked to increased seismic activity.

Batzle said the seismic con-cern prompted researchers to install passive seismometers in the Upper Arkansas Valley more than 18 months ago.

Continued data collection will provide baseline seismic readings against which to compare seismic activity sub-sequent to possible geother-mal development.

Batzle said he believes there is a 30-percent chance of finding a resource suffi-ciently hot to generate elec-tricity.

But if the resource is too cool to generate electricity, Batzle said it could still be used to heat the prison in Buena Vista.

As an example of this type of direct use, he pointed to Boise, Idaho, where “most of the state buildings are heated with a geothermal resource.”

Copies of Geophysics Field Camp reports from 2007-2010 are available online at http://inside.mines.edu/GEO-Field-Camp.

Batzle cautioned, “We go out there and collect a huge amount of data, but (the stu-dents) don’t have a lot of time to interpret the data.”

Because data collection is sponsored by the department of energy, Batzle said it is all publicly available.

Continued from FRONT page

Geothermal study renews interest

Continued from FRONT page

Volunteers clean, oil antique organ

Editor’s note: This is the third in a five-part series about geothermal resource develop-ment in south central Colora-do.

Paul Morgan, senior geother-mal geologist with Colorado Geological Survey, recently clarified information about geothermal resources near Mount Princeton, noting three factors that contribute to inter-est in the resource.

• The hottest surface water in Colorado – 178-181 degrees Fahrenheit – is at Hortense Hot Springs in Chaffee Coun-ty.

• Geothermal exploration by American Metals Climax occurring during the 1970s.

• Groundwater chemistry.Morgan said American Met-

als Climax drilled to 500 feet deep and recorded the high-est temperature gradient – the rate at which temperature increases with depth – in Colo-rado.

Underground temperature measurements, Morgan said, suggest a hot water source for Mount Princeton Hot Springs somewhere west of Deadhorse Lake.

But, he said, chemistry data provide the most significant evidence of a hotter, deeper resource.

“Chemical composition of water from Mount Princeton and Hortense Hot Springs indicates both these waters are a mixture of shallow meteoric waters (rain or snowmelt) and deeper, hotter water.

“The equilibrium tempera-ture for the hotter water is about 260-300 degrees. Unfor-tunately, the chemistry does not indicate a depth of origin for the hotter water compo-nent.”

Morgan said hot water feed-ing Mount Princeton springs probably rises in an extension of the main fault coming from the south.

Slightly different chemistry in Hortense water indicates a different source, Morgan said, probably along the main fault from the north.

Regarding worries of local residents that geothermal development could affect their wells, Morgan said, “From information available, I believe the shallow aquifer is connect-ed to the deeper system.”

One purpose of flow test-ing, he said, is to determine if there are “significant inter-connections” between a deeper resource and shallow aquifers supplying local wells. If so, he said, “Development can be stopped, or wells can be sited to mitigate the effects.”

Flow tests can only be con-ducted if deeper wells are drilled. Drilling is “the most definitive technique to define a geothermal resource,” Morgan said.

One or two deeper holes, per-haps to 3,000-4,000 feet, would need to be drilled, Morgan said. He said exploration plans might be changed or aban-doned based upon information from new wells.

For a project to continue, Morgan said exploration would need to identify a deep reser-voir with sufficiently high tem-

perature, the capacity to main-tain a “very large fluid flow to the surface” and the ability to accept a large return flow.

A predominant concern expressed in letters protest-ing the Mount Princeton geo-thermal lease is that drinking water sources could become contaminated from minerals such as antimony, arsenic, cad-mium, lead, mercury, stron-tium and zinc.

Protest letters cited an Envi-ronmental Protection Agency study, “Electric Power Geo-thermal Injection Wells” as the source of worry about those minerals.

Morgan reviewed the EPA study and cited problems with applying those findings to Chaffee County geothermal resources.

“The study was a compila-tion of geothermal injection wells from different types of power plants from a variety of different geological and cli-matic settings, none of which closely matches Mount Princ-eton conditions,” Morgan said.

Of 234 injection wells exam-ined for the study, three had specific incident reports – none of which included minerals mentioned in protest letters.

Morgan said the study doesn’t give chemical data for geothermal reservoirs and most of the data in the study came from power plants using dry steam or flash steam tech-nology and evaporative cool-ing.

“That technology evaporates steam and water vapor from the geothermal fluid, concen-trating dissolved minerals in the remaining liquid,” which is reinjected into groundwater, he said.

Binary cycle technology, the only proven technology for a resource like Mount Princeton, uses geothermal fluid to heat a secondary working fluid in a heat exchanger.

“The fluid is reinjected at its original (mineral) concentra-tion,” Morgan said.

Existing geothermal opera-tions, Morgan said, are pri-marily in desert areas where groundwater often doesn’t meet Environmental Protec-tion Agency drinking water standards.

He explained groundwater in those areas becomes concen-trated with dissolved miner-als by natural evaporation and desert weathering.

Concentrations are increased in dry-steam and flash-steam power plants with evaporative cooling but remain constant in binary plants.

Because of the apparent connection between the near-surface aquifer and the deep-er resource, the near-surface aquifer should show traces of the minerals, Morgan said.

“We have sufficient infor-mation to constrain the compo-sition of the geothermal fluid at depth beneath the Chalk Creek Valley, and it is indi-cated as benign,” he said.

He noted involvement of multiple agencies as a safe-guard to ensure any potential injection of geothermal fluids would occur below the level of aquifers supplying drinking water.

“The water in Hortense Hot Spring has a mineral content (total dissolved solids) of 336-

351 parts per million,” Mor-gan said.

Hartsel Hot Spring, by com-parison, has a mineral con-tent of 3,600-3,850 parts per million.

Although geothermal water may be clean, metaphorical water got muddy when 3E Geothermal, a subsidiary of Young Life, submitted the high bid for the Mount Princ-eton geothermal lease.

Statements by Young Life

representatives confirm the nonprofit corporation has no immediate plans to develop the lease, and local landown-ers have expressed relief Young Life intends to protect natural beauty of the area.

Morgan said the Mount Princeton lease covers only part of the “geothermal anom-aly,” which could be developed independent of Young Life.

“I’m not (for or against) development of Mount Princ-

eton,” Morgan said. “I collect scientific information about the area which is available to everyone.

“I would be more than will-ing to answer specific or gen-eral questions about geother-mal in Colorado,” Morgan said.

He said, however, he prefers not to become a point of pro-test. He can be contacted via e-mail at Paul.Morgan@state.co.us.

THE MOUNTAIN MAIL — SALIDA, COLORADO — WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2011 — PAGE 9

by Joe StoneMail Staff Writer

Three factors contribute to Mount Princeton interest

Colorado Geological Survey studied chemistry of Colorado hot springs during the mid 1970s.The information is in “Hydrochemical Data of Thermal Springs and Wells in Colorado” by J.K.

Barrett and R.H. Pearl, Colorado Geological Survey Information Series 6, 1976. The study included chemical analyses of eight springs and wells in the Mount Princeton area,

including Hortense Hot Spring.Hortense Hot Spring was sampled four times between July 1975 and April 1976, but no signifi-

cant changes in its chemistry were observed. Four of the seven “elements of concern” cited in protest letters were measured in the study.

The results are in micrograms per liter of water (approximately parts per trillion).Element Mount Princeton Range EPA maximum contaminant levelAntimony not measuredArsenic 1-3 [10]Cadmium 0-1 [5]Lead not measuredMercury 0-0.2 [2] Strontium not measuredZinc 0-30 [5,000] (secondary standard)Zero indicates the sample was below detection limit of the analysis. Maximum contaminant

levels are the highest level of a contaminant allowed in drinking water. Maximum contaminant levels are enforceable standards. Definition and values are from: http://water.epa.gov/drink/con-taminants/index.cfm#List.

Photo by Joe Stone

Guests at Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort recently use natural hot springs rising beside

Chalk Creek.

PAGE 16 — THE MOUNTAIN MAIL — SALIDA, COLORADO — THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011

Editor’s note: This article is the fourth in a five-part series about geothermal resource development in south central Colorado.

The Mount Princeton geothermal lease raised the possibility of a power plant near Nathrop, which in turn raised numerous ques-tions about possible adverse effects to the aquifer providing drinking water for local resi-dents.

In addition to hydrological questions that can’t be answered unless deep wells are drilled, questions about regulatory and juris-dictional issues continue causing concern among residents.

Central to many questions is the split estate issue because much of the land affected by the Mount Princeton lease was first privatized under the Stock Raising Homestead Act of 1916.

Unlike earlier homestead acts, the 1916 act separated surface ownership from subsurface ownership, resulting in what became known as split estates.

Subsurface rights, also known as mineral rights, remained with the federal government and are now managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The bureau considers geothermal heat a mineral resource like oil and gas, but a geo-thermal power plant near Mount Princeton would likely rely on groundwater to bring heat to the surface for generation of electricity.

Although mineral resources are controlled by the federal government, tributary water – almost all water in Colorado west of the Front Range – falls under the jurisdiction of the state – Colorado Division of Water Resources.

Colorado water law is based upon the doc-trine of prior appropriation, meaning older, or senior, water rights take precedence over more recent, or junior, rights.

Just as land ownership does not guaran-tee water rights, “There is no right to the geothermal resource that comes from simply owning land overlying the resource,” accord-ing to “Geothermal Development in Colorado,” an overview provided by Kevin Rein, assis-tant state engineer with the Division of Water Resources.

The overview explains that to “produce geo-thermal fluid from a well” requires “a permit to appropriate the geothermal fluid.”

Anyone with a geothermal well can use heat from that well “as long as that use is inciden-tal to the normal use of the water for other-wise permitted uses,” Rein wrote.

“They can’t pump any more for geothermal purposes than would be pumped for normal state-permitted use,” Rein said. “And they don’t have protection in the priority system for geothermal use.”

Rein said the geothermal lease-sale does not grant a water right to the lessee, so any local residents or business owners who have a geo-thermal right have a priority right.

Likewise, if the lessee of the federal geother-mal rights obtains a geothermal well permit, the lessee will establish priority based upon the date the permit is issued.

Local water users who do not have a geo-thermal appropriation would not then be able to claim injury if the well of the lessee affected water temperature, Rein said.

Nonetheless, established wells are protected against any “reduction or alteration in the quantity or quality” of well water, according to the document from Rein.

Rein’s document indicates the state engi-neer – Division of Water Resources director – expects new geothermal development will be nonconsumptive.

Nonconsumptive development, combined with great depth of viable geothermal resourc-es, produces small potential to affect water quantity and quality, Rein said.

Paul Morgan, senior geothermal geologist with Colorado Geological Survey, provided additional information about geothermal well requirements.

In addition to Division of Water Resources requirements, Morgan said for any well more than 2,500 feet deep or more than 212 degrees in temperature, “the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission would also need to approve well design.”

Water hotter than 212 degrees is likely to flash to steam if pumped to the surface, which increases pressure and the possibility of a blowout, Morgan said.

“A blowout preventer would be required on such a well – this is oil and gas equipment, not water well equipment. Hence the change in well designation is to ensure appropriate experts inspect well construction plans.

“It has nothing to do with water becoming a mineral at a certain temperature,” he added.

For a well on a federal mineral lease, a Bureau of Land Management permit is required in addition to state permits. Senate Bill 10-174, sponsored by Sen. Gail Schwarz, puts geothermal development under local con-trol by requiring a 1041 permit, Morgan said.

If a development at Mount Princeton pumps geothermal fluids to the surface, Morgan said, “they would be reinjected below drinking water aquifers so no contamination would occur.

“Everything we know at present about the geothermal reservoir at Mount Princeton indi-cates its fluid should meet Environmental Protection Agency standards for safe drinking water.”

He confirmed that, in split estates, geother-mal heat pumps are part of the surface estate.

Surface owners “can put in all the heat pumps they want, as long as they permit the trenches or wells with the Water Resources Division to ensure no contamination of shal-low aquifers.”

by Joe StoneMail Staff Writer

Geothermal power plant

prompts public questions

Photo by Joe Stone

Seen from Mount Princeton Hot Springs

Resort, Chalk Cliffs tower above Erin’s Geo-

thermal Greenhouse, which relies upon nat-

ural hot water to grow crops year-round.

PAGE 8 — THE MOUNTAIN MAIL — SALIDA, COLORADO — FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2011

Editor’s note: This is the last in a five-part series about geothermal resource develop-ment in south central Colo-rado.

Salida officials are prepar-ing to drill thermal gradient holes near the city-owned Poncha Hot Springs after receiving $50,000 for geo-thermal exploration from the Governor’s Energy Office.

Salida City Administrator Jack Lewis said efforts are beginning with geothermal consultant Fred Henderson compiling information to be incorporated into a geograph-ic information system, or GIS, database and map.

GIS mapping will compile a wide range of data into vari-ous layers that can be read-ily compared and analyzed to determine the best loca-tions to drill thermal gradi-ent wells, Lewis said.

The GIS database will include information from Col-orado School of Mines geo-physical studies, U.S. Geo-logical Survey aeromagnetic surveys and Colorado Geo-logical Survey geochemistry data, he said.

Lewis said high thermal gradients have been mea-sured in two wells on the adjoining Farrow property. Plans are to drill three to six additional holes with a com-bined depth of about 1,400 feet.

The first hole will likely be drilled near the former Boy Scout camp.

Henderson, also chief sci-entist with Mount Princeton Geothermal, LLC, said a number of studies at the hot springs indicate a geothermal

resource with water tempera-ture of at least 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Henderson said a ranking of Colorado hot springs was produced by Colorado Geolog-ical Survey Senior Geother-mal Geologist Paul Morgan.

Based on surface tempera-ture, geochemistry, regional thermal gradient and regional heat flow, Morgan produced a top 10 list that ranks Poncha Hot Springs third and Mount Princeton Hot Springs fourth among the 23 hottest springs in the state.

Morgan said the springs “have geochemistry similar to hot springs in the Mount Princeton area,” and Poncha Hot Springs “have early indi-cations of a geothermal area that could produce electric-

ity.” After initial drilling, Hen-

derson said, Morgan will per-form thermal gradient and heat flow measurements to determine potential sites for deep drilling and pump tests needed to determine suitabil-ity of the resource for electric-ity production.

Lewis said he is anxious to learn if there’s a viable resource.

“It could be really beneficial to the city,” he said, which could use electricity produced at the site or sell it to Xcel Energy.

Direct use of Poncha Hot Springs began hundreds of years ago when Native Amer-icans used the hot water for cleansing and healing.

Since 1937, the hot springs

have supplied water for Sali-da Hot Springs Aquatic Cen-ter. Works Progress Admin-istration laborers constructed the pool, spring collection boxes and pipeline during the Great Depression.

In 1941 Salida bought 145 acres at the hot springs site with accompanying water rights from J. Carter and Anton T. Hartwick.

Cottonwood Hot Springs west of Buena Vista has not received as much attention as other Chaffee County resources, but aeromagnetic data indicate the resource could potentially support a 7-10 megawatt power plant.

Geothermal development

moves beyond Chaffee County

Although available infor-mation points to a potential-ly viable resource at Poncha Hot Springs, Waunita Hot Springs earned the top spot on Morgan’s top 10 list.

Located in eastern Gun-nison County, Waunita Hot Springs is at the heart of two blocks of land nominated in 2009 for geothermal leasing.

One block includes 4,586 acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management property and 400 acres of private, split-estate land. The other block encompasses 3,765 acres of U.S. Forest Service land.

Both agencies recently com-pleted environmental assess-ments of geothermal leasing.

The U.S. Forest Service issued a decision Feb. 4 con-senting to the lease with stip-ulations to protect:

• Geologic, surface water and groundwater resources.

• Canada lynx, Gunnison sage grouse, big game winter range, bald eagle wintering areas, raptors and current and future threatened and endangered species.

• Cultural and paleontolog-ical resources.

• Visual resources and rec-reation opportunities.

The bureau issued a deci-sion March 24 to allow geo-thermal leasing with similar stipulations, including pro-tection for natural resources and senior water rights.

Geothermal features in the northern San Luis Valley also hold potential for electric-ity generation, and Mineral Hot Springs near Villa Grove ranks ninth on Morgan’s top 10 list.

Tien Grauch, geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Sur-vey, compiled and interpreted data from aeromagnetic sur-veys of the Upper Arkansas and San Luis valleys as part of a multi-disciplinary geo-physics project.

Grauch said the main focus of the project “is to under-stand the 3-D geologic frame-work (controlling) groundwa-ter for populated basins along the Rio Grande Rift.”

Aeromagnetic surveys mea-sure variations in Earth’s magnetic field to revealing differences in geological prop-erties, Grauch said.

Conducted via aircraft, aeromagnetic surveys provide a quick, relatively inexpen-sive method for identifying faults and are especially use-ful for locating faults hidden beneath other geological fea-tures, Grauch said.

Aeromagnetic surveys iden-tified previously undetected faults, helping researchers understand the subterranean “plumbing” of the region and providing focus for efforts to locate geothermal resources, Grauch said.

In addition to helping deter-mine where to drill thermal gradient holes at Poncha Hot Springs, Grauch’s work has identified faults that could indicate viable geothermal resources in the San Luis Valley, including unexpected faults near the Great Sand Dunes.

Mike Blakeman, public affairs officer with the San Luis Valley Public Lands Center, said “To date we have not had any serious interest in potential development of geothermal leasing in the San Luis Valley.”

Nonetheless, a draft envi-ronmental assessment for geothermal development in the valley should be available for public review this spring, he added.

Meanwhile, a recently fund-ed geothermal project at Neal Hot Springs in southeast Ore-gon will deploy “supercriti-cal binary cycle” technology that could expand geother-mal resource development by reducing the temperature threshold at which electricity can be produced.

by Joe StoneMail Staff Writer

Salida prepares to explore geothermal possibilities

Photos by Joe Stone

An outcropping of travertine indicates where Poncha Hot Springs once flowed naturally

before the water was diverted to Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center.

A former Boy Scout camp may become the site of the first thermal gradient well to be drilled

near Poncha Hot Springs using grant money from the Governor’s Energy Office.