Lithium Extraction Project , Worries Those Who Rely on , Water From Colorado River.br Lithium is used to manufacture br electric vehicle batteries.br A new plan to extract lithium in Utah has br raised concerns about how the project could br impact the Colorado River, Fox News reports.br The Paradox Basin, a geologic formation shared by Utah, br Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, has been analyzed br by an Australian company and its U.S. subsidiaries.br The Paradox Basin, a geologic formation shared by Utah, br Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, has been analyzed br by an Australian company and its U.S. subsidiaries.br The basin's groundwater has been found br to be rich in lithium salts and other minerals br left over from millions of years ago when br the area was repeatedly flooded and drained.br Australia-based Anson Resources has also br reportedly acquired rights to freshwater br sourced from the nearby Green River. .br The company's plans have given rise br to questions about how the groundwater br and river water are interconnected, in addition br to the impact of lithium on the environment.br 'The Guardian' points out that the Green River is br a tributary of the crucial Colorado River, which br supplies water for 40 million people in the West.br We need to have a renewable+ energy br transition, but maybe we shouldn’t be br looking for these kinds of quick-fix energy br solutions on a drought-stricken river, Lauren Wood, a third-generation resident br of Green River, Utah, via Fox News.br Geologists and Earth scientists have cautioned br that it remains unclear how water-intensive the br process of direct lithium extraction actually is.br The technology is too new br for much of a commercial track br record to have been established, Michael McKibben, professor at the University br of California, Riverside, via Fox News.br Ultimately, Utah's water rights division will br make the final decision regarding water br permits for Anson and its U.S.