Lithium Extraction Project , Worries Those Who Rely on , Water From Colorado River.
Lithium is used to manufacture
electric vehicle batteries.
A new plan to extract lithium in Utah has
raised concerns about how the project could
impact the Colorado River, Fox News reports.
The Paradox Basin, a geologic formation shared by Utah,
Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, has been analyzed
by an Australian company and its U.S. subsidiaries.
The Paradox Basin, a geologic formation shared by Utah,
Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, has been analyzed
by an Australian company and its U.S. subsidiaries.
The basin's groundwater has been found
to be rich in lithium salts and other minerals
left over from millions of years ago when
the area was repeatedly flooded and drained.
Australia-based Anson Resources has also
reportedly acquired rights to freshwater
sourced from the nearby Green River. .
The company's plans have given rise
to questions about how the groundwater
and river water are interconnected, in addition
to the impact of lithium on the environment.
'The Guardian' points out that the Green River is
a tributary of the crucial Colorado River, which
supplies water for 40 million people in the West.
We need to have a renewable+ energy
transition, but maybe we shouldn’t be
looking for these kinds of quick-fix energy
solutions on a drought-stricken river, Lauren Wood, a third-generation resident
of Green River, Utah, via Fox News.
Geologists and Earth scientists have cautioned
that it remains unclear how water-intensive the
process of direct lithium extraction actually is.
The technology is too new
for much of a commercial track
record to have been established, Michael McKibben, professor at the University
of California, Riverside, via Fox News.
Ultimately, Utah's water rights division will
make the final decision regarding water
permits for Anson and its U.S. subsidiaries,
a process which could take months or years