Dodge City-area residents oppose plans for ethanol plant

? Backers of a proposed $185 million ethanol plant in southwest Kansas say it will add jobs and boost the economy.

But opponents are circulating a petition seeking to stall the 110-million-gallon per year plant, which they claim will increase truck traffic, hurt property values and sap water from an already overused underground aquifer.

“We’re not opposed to the ethanol industry. We’re opposed to the site,” said Rodney Helfrich, a farmer from Wright who is helping circulate petitions.

He said as many as 90 percent of people in the area are against building the plant on farmland near Wright, an unincorporated Ford County town about 10 miles east of Dodge City.

Helfrich says Ford County is already a “water-deficit area” and worries the plant will speed up depletion of the underground aquifer. The plant would use an estimated 540 million gallons of water each year.

He and other opponents of the project plan to show up Monday when the Ford County Zoning Board considers a conditional use permit for the plant.

However, backers of the project said a pair of public meetings last week in Wright helped dispel misconceptions about the plant, which would add 45 to 50 jobs.

“I’ve seen nothing that would suggest there’s widespread opposition,” said Ed Stahl, a consultant who is helping develop Boot Hill Biofuels. “In fact, we’ve heard so many positive comments.”

Stahl downplayed the water concerns. At current use levels, he said there’s a 100-year water supply under the ground.

Stahl also said Boot Hill officials are looking at ways of routing traffic to minimize inconvenience for Wright residents. He also noted that upgrades to nearby U.S. 50 are likely.

He said Boot Hill officials will continue to listen to the community and address their concerns.

Boot Hill Biofuels is a partner with the Seward County-based group Conestoga Energy Partners, which would manage the Ford County plant.