ADM (ADM) Digging Collector Wells in Decatur

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is breaking ground on two wells in the Decatur region, raising controversy over its draining of the water supply for the residents in the area.

The demand for water from ADM is so strong it has resulted in major changes to the Decatur water system which will result in residents having water rates soaring by about 120 percent over the next three years.

This is happening because no matter what the source of grain to make the ethanol is, it's an extremely water-intensive production process which demands a lot of water.

They will be 40-foot collector wells dug out on property held by ADM in the Decatur area. There is a glacial aquifier beneath Lake Decatur that is being tapped into by the company. The company says the wells are not connected to the lake water in any way. 

What the wells are meant to do is provide a water source no matter what the drought conditions or weather patterns are.

The two new wells could extract as much as seven million gallons of water a day for the North Water Treatment Plant, which normally will pull over 14 million gallons daily from Lake Decatur.
People and watchdog groups are concerned over the way the water is being allocated to the company at the expense of the population in the region.


This is why the free market and not the government should be the decision-maker concerning products and services people want. Ethanol isn't hardly on the radar of the majority of people, and for those that have it on their radar, it's more out of concern the damage it can cause their equipment than anything else.

There is no doubt the huge demand for water isn't worth the costs associated with it in this case. The city and region are still looking for alternative water sources while ADM sucks up the vast majority of what is available. It really makes no sense at all.