(Radio Iowa) – A request by Pattison Company in Clayton County to nearly quadruple its water usage to more than three-point-seven (3.7) billion gallons has raised concerns among county residents. The Pattison company already uses around one billion gallons of water a year in its quarry, and residents worry the increase could dry up their wells. Company manager Kyle Pattison tells K-C-R-G T-V it’s not about expanding their operation, it’s about increased costs by not being able to use the water under them. “It would increase our costs somewhat, which has an impact on the amount of people we can employ and the wages that we can pay them,” Pattison says. The D-N-R met with some resident last month to discuss some of their concerns, and one common issue was the long-term impact on water levels in the area if Pattison’s permit is approved. Pattison said increased water usage would leave water in the same levels as before.

“We haven’t seen any cone of depression area outside of our site, and really on any of our wells,” he says. Pattison tells K-C-R-G T-V they are having little impact on the water system. “All the water runs from the west to the Mississippi river and the east to the Mississippi river so we’re just changing its path for a short bit and then it ends up in the same spot,” Pattison says. The city of Garnavillo wrote a letter to the D-N-R, sharing concerns about draining water from the area and possible water contamination. Pattison responds: “There’s groundwater all around in this area that goes into the drinking water, and the only problem I’m aware of is just nitrates from the farmers,” Pattison says.

Pattison says the company wouldn’t necessarily use the full three-point-seven billion gallons of water the permit would allow, but it would use much more than it’s currently allowed.