Northwest Innovation Works is seeking to build a refinery to convert fracked gas to methanol in Kalama, a small port town on the Columbia River. The water used in the manufacturing process comes from a well “hydrologically” connected to the Columbia River we all love.
The estimated water usage is striking — 4.8 million gallons of fresh water a day. That is as much water as 12,000 average households use in a day, over four times the households in the entire Kalama ZIP code. A total of 3,340 gallons of water use per minute? That is as much water as 8.3 households use in an entire day.
Fresh water is a limited resource, one that all humans need to sustain life. As we continue to pollute the air and temperatures rise, fresh water will become more and more precious.
As a Kalama resident, and citizen of the world, I vehemently oppose this refinery and urge you to join me.
Learn more by reading Columbia Riverkeeper’s new white paper at ColumbiaRiverkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/KalamaMethanolRefining_final.pdf or visiting GreenPartySWWA.org/kalama.html.
