Ethanol production in Nebraska may increase public water costs and regulatory pressure, said a University of Nebraska–Lincoln engineer.
     Although ethanol production doesn't require prohibitive amounts of water, irrigation water to raise corn may tax Nebraska's water supplies, said Derrel Martin, professor of biological systems engineering, during a recent workshop at UNL's West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte.
     In 2006, Nebraska had 15 plants that produced about 45 million gallons of ethanol per plant, Martin said. The water to make that much ethanol was the equivalent of about three center pivot's annual pumping per ethanol plant. Compared to about 90,000 irrigation wells in Nebraska, that's a relatively small volume of water to produce ethanol.
     On the other hand, the economies of biofuels production may cause changes in water policy, Martin said. In some parts of the state, the number of irrigation wells is limited to what's already in place. The gallons an individual producer can pump annually is also limited.
     "In those areas, I don't see the more profitable alternative of producing biofuels will result in significantly greater water use," Martin said.
     "Where it will make a difference, is where we have a need to create more in-stream flow for such things as 'no new depletions' and endangered species, as well as the settlement on the Republican River with Kansas," he said.
     In cases where the state needs to buy water or retire irrigated acres, the increased commodity value due to ethanol will increase the cost of compliance, Martin said.
     In those watersheds where there is no moratorium on drilling new wells and there is no limitation on pumping, there will be strong interest in expanding irrigated acres, Martin said. There may also be incentives to irrigate corn rather than crops like soybeans that require somewhat less irrigation.
     In those areas, the Natural Resources Districts will have to get involved in Integrated Water Management Planning to look at long term irrigation sustainability while capitalizing on increased commodity values.
     "Maybe they can close the barn door before the horse leaves in these areas," he said. "To me it splits very differently in those areas that already have limitations on the amount of water they can use and those that have a chance to develop more irrigated land in the future."
     The West Central Research and Extension Center is part of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.