10/30/07

An ethanol refinery being built in Burley is expected to use about one-eighth of the city's overall daily water demand.

Burley City Administrator Mark Mitton says Pacific Ethanol's plant is expected to use 300-to-400-thousand gallons of water per day to make about 137-thousand gallons of ethanol. The amount of water used to make the alternative fuel has recently come under criticism by some people.

Officials from the city of Burley and the Idaho Department of Water Resources say the amount of water required to operate Pacific Ethanol's plant isn't likely to be a major concern.