The residents on the border of US and Mexico are concerned that the geothermal project as a form of a renewable source of energy may put their water source at a risk. Sadly, the local government has ignored the reports made by locals thinking that choosing to go for renewable energy is always the better option for its residents. However, this may not be the case.
Randy Walter discovered a 10ft geyser from a well that has been padlocked for nearly 12 years. This happened in March 2016. But Walter was sure that water does not just blow off from the underground without a trigger. And then he discovered that Cyrq Energy, a Utah-based company was put up a $43 million dollar geothermal energy plant to harvest electricity from the waters of New Mexico in 2013.
Nobody could miss the green pipes as well as the rectangular pods that seem to stick like a sore thumb in the desert land of Mexico. The Lightning Dock was said to be the main supplier of energy needed by the Public Service Company of New Mexico. Since they are the leading supplier of Mexico's much-needed electricity, all the digging and the structures that they built were considered an important investment.
The plant was able to produce about four megawatts to help fill the state's goals to harvest as much renewable energy as it can with its resources available. Such an amount of energy is able to provide the energy needed by 1,400 households in New Mexico.
From the outset, the local residents have expressed their concern on what Cyrq Energy did with the pump that they used. The company re-injected the pump at similar depths, not thinking about how such a move would affect the freshwater source of the state. From the health of the locals and the condition of the farms and the ranch, it is quite surprising that the government didn't look at the fact that these local industries thrive on a good water source. They are looking at the scatter of people and farms that are greatly affected by the Animas Basin.
'The valley was able to sustain a rural community and made the lives of people easy," said Stan Jones, the head of the Hidalgo Soil and Water Conservation District. "The geothermal water is not the kind of water that can be used in farms or the ranch. That's why we expressed out adamant resistance to what they are doing. They are messing with the livelihood that kept this community alive."
There is a dark side to the use of renewable energy and this is something not always talked about. For every production it carries, it comes with its own form of environmental baggage. From an ecological point of view, this may seem like a small sacrifice for a few, but it brings about a huge effect on the lives of real people in the community.
"I am not against any form of renewable energy," said Gault "But I am not sure how its safety could affect the lives of so many others already existing in the community."
