CASCADE, Idaho — Geothermal energy is cheap and readily available in many parts of Idaho. The City of Cascade is exploring the potential of tapping into that energy source to cut down on energy costs for residents in the district.
“We are looking at a viable Geothermal heating well that is on city property,” said Judith Nissula, the Mayor of Cascade.
Nissula says the city has been exploring the possibility of heating more of the city with geothermal since the early 2000s.
WATCH: City of Cascade hopes to tap into geothermal energy to cut energy costs
Parts of the community have existing wells, but in order to get the rest of the town online, it's going to cost money.
“It’s been here, but the biggest expense, like I said, is drilling it into the ground," claimed Nissula. "That's where all of the grassroots efforts that have happened since 2000 have stopped— because there’s no money for drilling."
That’s where the Department of Energy comes in.
The project is supported by a $200,000 grant, along with other grant money, to help design a geothermal district heating and cooling system for the entire city and potentially leverage seven existing wells.
The Aquatic Center at Kelly’s Whitewater Park in Cascade is just another example of how Geothermal is benefiting the community.
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“We have a shop that is a public workshop— big building, 60 by 40— and we built that a couple of years ago, and we put in a heat pump system, anticipating that once all of this comes together, we can heat that shop with this well because we only have to run about 1000 ft of drinking water pipe," explained Nissula.
And if everything goes as planned, the Mayor says over 50 percent of the city will be on the geothermal system within 5 to 10 years.
“Our first projects we’d like to see is to get the businesses on it,” concluded Nissula.
And then they can focus on homeowners. The city says the potential is already there — now comes the work of bringing it to the surface.
