L E T T E R S

December 1, 2007

In today’s Rocky Mountain News (12/1/07), an article “Water eyed for heating, cooling guv’s mansion” by Bill Scanlon, told how  Governor Bill Ritter and First Lady Jeannie Ritter are looking forward to the governor’s mansion being the first in the nation to convert to a ground-source heating and cooling system.

My compliments and congratulations to our Governor and First Lady.

By implementing such a heating and cooling method, Ritter will make Colorado a leader in energy development and energy savings.

Using ground water that is 55 degrees to handle the heating and cooling during Colorado’s extreme temperature shifts...winter’s sub freezing temperature or the record number of days exceeding 90 degrees, is exciting and revolutionary.
Governor Ritter’s idea will save vast amounts of energy to produce electricity at a savings of natural gas and coal.
I would like to encourage all my Farmer-Rancher friends to research and consider using this plan.
For example: Water pumped from the underground aquifer could be used to warm dairy barns in the winter, and help cool them in the summer. This would bring comfort and convenience of the workers and the dairy cows, giving added premiums to good animal husbandry practices.

We all know that happy cows produce more milk.

One concern Ag people might express, would be;  what to do with the by product water after the achieved goal of cooling and heating has been met.

Possible solutions to their concern include:  In the winter months, ag users could consider running the water into a draw (lower area on their property), as temporary ponds for the migratory  as they travel through the habitats of domestic creatures..
In the summer, this bi-product could be used as natural watering opportunities for the cows, thus diminishing need for pumping, which of course would be more energy savings.

Additional summer use of the water bi-product could be its distribution onto the fields, where the Farmer-Rancher could grow more feed for his or her cows.

The ripple affects of this water usage would result in multiple benefits including: Energy savings to the Farmer-Rancher, private and industrial users, and make for  happy cows.
 
Charles W. Sylvester