How Ormat’s Casa Diablo binary geothermal plant works. Mammoth sits on the western side of the caldera, and geothermal fluids generally flow east toward the Casa Diablo facility and beyond. Geologically, the ground is full of fractured volcanic rock, which creates shallow groundwater aquifers and deeper geothermal reservoirs as snow and rain seep into the ground. It sits in the Long Valley Caldera, a 20-mile-long oval depression that formed more than 750,000 years ago in a massive volcanic eruption. The town has a year-round population of 8,000 that swells to 35,000 during ski season. Mammoth has been California’s premier ski destination for nearly half a century. "But the consequences would be very severe." ‘Crown jewel of the … geothermal industry’ The likelihood of such an event is "low," Evans of USGS said. Geothermal fluids typically are saline and can contain high concentrations of minerals such as lithium or boron. Even a small earthquake or volcanic eruption could change its underlying geology, creating cracks in a pressurized system that could - in theory - allow geothermal fluids to rise into groundwater aquifers, or heat it until the water boils off. Putting his strategy aside, Hayes’ concerns aren’t completely unfounded. Shortly thereafter, Hayes, who was then president-elect, and his wife, who apparently posted the photo, resigned from the club. After his pitch to the rotary club, a photo of Hayes surfaced on the group’s Twitter account that made it looked like the club endorsed his proposal. Courts have strongly rejected his claims, siding with regulators who reviewed the relevant scientific data, as well as a robust groundwater monitoring plan they’ve put in place. His critics note that Hayes has secured few victories. "It’s starting to become Patrick crying wolf," added Phil Kiddoo of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, which has regulatory authority over the geothermal facility. "They are just trying to hurt us even if it has absolutely nothing to do with their water. "To me, they are acting just like a bully," said Rahm Orenstein, a vice president of business development at Ormat. And they question whether he is actually seeking a resolution or just likes to fight. They characterize Hayes as tone-deaf and unreasonable. His tactics have led to considerable frustration at Ormat and among regulators who spent nearly a half-decade reviewing the expansion plans. Hayes has penned op-eds in local papers imploring: "Wake up California! We have a potential water quality crisis right here in our own backyard." Ormat Technologies Inc.’s Casa Diablo geothermal power plant near Mammoth Lakes, Calif. He has even tried to persuade the local rotary club to condemn the project. He shows up unannounced at local board meetings to plead his case. He spreads opposition research on other Ormat facilities plagued by safety problems. The Mammoth Community Water District general manager has spent $1.7 million on lawsuits, PR and consultants. Hayes remains undeterred, aggressively attacking the project - and anyone associated with it. "A large impact on groundwater supply due to this expansion is unlikely, but certainly not impossible," he said. Geological Survey scientist who has studied the area extensively, said the effects of Ormat’s Casa Diablo plant so far "are not the type of impacts that really cause a great deal of alarm." The problem for Hayes, though, is it’s unclear how much validity there is to those claims. "It was discounted, and the outcome of the report was that there was no concern for the groundwater." "We had the smoking gun," said Hayes, 67, referring to the data. Regulators, he says, have ignored those data in their environmental reviews. They are already contaminating the town’s shallower groundwater aquifers, he says, and the problem could get worse when the plant expands production. Hayes, a charismatic former Olympian, says data show the deep geothermal reservoirs used for energy production are not completely contained. "The local soccer moms and baseball dads, they are generally unaware of what’s about to happen here," he said on a recent tour of a park near where new wells would pump up hot geothermal fluid for the plant.
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