Issue 3: In a desert region, water use for lithium recovery remains a big source of concern
Demand for water in the Imperial Valley is expected to continue to grow — and lithium recovery will demand a lot of it.
Fresh this Week
Why U.S.-Sourced Lithium Is Critical to Biden
The U.S. imports a lot of minerals from other countries — most of it coming from places like Africa, Australia, China and Mexico, according to S&P Global. To be precise, the U.S. imported 231,865 tons of minerals in 2021.
Based on my previous reporting on the question of lithium quantity in the Imperial Valley, there should be enough mineral underground to satisfy demand in the U.S. alone. One researcher estimates there is between 5 to 32 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, or LCE, in the region. | Source: S&P Global
Environmental Concerns Loom Over Lithium Valley
The companies seeking to recover lithium from the Salton Sea geothermal region say they’ve come up with the technologies to do such a process in an environmentally friendly way.
But “the exact impacts of this method, especially long term, still need more research,” Patrick Dobson, a researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory told CapRadio. | Source: CapRadio
Everything Is a Climate Energy Story
Los Angeles Times environmental reporter Sammy Roth wrote this week “energy should be a hot-button even when gas prices aren’t going through the roof, because energy is climate, and climate is everything. But crisis creates opportunity.”
And mineral recovery in the U.S., particularly lithium, is a big part of President Joe Biden’s plan for energy independence and key to reaching fossil fuel reduction goals. Source: Los Angeles Times
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Between the Lines
Water Demand for Lithium Recovery
Exactly how much water will be needed to recover thousands of tons of lithium from the Salton Sea geothermal region? This is one of the big questions that will likely be answered later this year as researchers finish their environmental impact studies currently going on right now.
But one 2021 report from EnergySource offers some clues. Industrial water demand is expected to exceed Municipal water demand by as early as 2025 — a figure that mirrors estimates from the Imperial Irrigation District.
For context, the numbers you see are in Kilo-Acre Feet per Year. If you were to translate that into a measurement more relatable to us, 1 acre feet equals 325,851 liquid gallon. Multiply 325,851 times 39,800, and you get about 13 billion gallons of water. So, if the numbers are right, Industrial demand for water from the IID will be about 13 billion gallons of water per year in 2025.
One big thing to keep in mind, however, is that non-agricultural demand for water in the Imperial Valley is minuscule compared to that of agriculture — the main bread and butter of the region. According to the IID, projected agricultural demand will go from 2,157.7 Kilo-Acre Feet in 2015 to 2,209.5 Kilo-Acre Feet in 2040.
The Imperial Valley, like the Coachella Valley, are desert regions which means its main source of water is from the Colorado River. And while the IID is able to make educated predictions about water use in the region, worsening droughts and demand for water from other competing states and counties will raise the stakes for the local economy.
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