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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />0024 <br /> <br />1.3 <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />~ ..>, <br /> <br />hydrologic analysis. Current requests for Ruedi water exceed 70,000 acre- <br /> <br />feet, as shown in Table 1.1. <br /> <br /> <br />The table shows that the largest amount of water requested is by indus- <br /> <br /> <br />trial users_ Seven of the ten industrial c~ncerns requesting water were <br /> <br />associated with oil shale mining projects. Estimates of potential oil shale <br /> <br /> <br />production levels for the State of Colorado range from 1.22 million barrels <br /> <br /> <br />per day (bpd) to 2.44 million bpd in the year 2000 (Office of Technology <br /> <br /> <br />Assessment, 1980, and Colorado Department of Natural Resources, 1981). Of the <br /> <br />21 potential shale oil projects in Colorado identified by the Engineering and <br /> <br /> <br />Mining Journal (June, 1981), 14 are located in the mainstem Colorado River <br /> <br /> <br />subbasin. Eight of those projects have either announced production levels or <br /> <br /> <br />have requested a water contract with the Bureau of Reclamation. <br /> <br />Estimates of water consumption by the oil shale industry vary from 5,800 <br /> <br /> <br />acre-feet of water consumption per 50,000 bpd of oil production to 12,500 <br /> <br />acre-feet/50,000 bpd. Water consumption figures for actual plant operations <br /> <br /> <br />and associated uses (i.e. land reclamation) are not available. The most fre- <br /> <br />quently quoted value for water consumption by the oil shale industry in the <br /> <br /> <br />literature is 8,500 acre-feet/50,000 bpd. This estimate is based on energy <br /> <br /> <br />and material balances published by independent analysts (Isaacson, 1981). <br /> <br /> <br />The water demand from municipal development associated with the oil shale <br /> <br />industry is estimated at from 10 to 20 percent of the net industry demand. <br /> <br /> <br />The Bureau of Reclamation's survey also indicated this level of demand by <br /> <br />municipalities in the area. Considering these various shale oil industry <br /> <br /> <br />water requirements, as well as other requirements, the Supplement has analyzed <br /> <br />the environmental implications of various magnitudes of water sales, demand <br /> <br /> <br />schedules, and depletions to Ruedi Reservoir and the associated river basins <br /> <br />above the Cameo gage on the Colorado River. <br /> <br /> <br />Ultimately, the Supplement will be one element used by the Bureau to <br /> <br />determine the water quantity and uses related to sale of Ruedi water, and to <br /> <br /> <br />serve as the basis for a biological assessment of the impacts on threatened <br /> <br />and endangered species as required by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as <br /> <br /> <br />amended. A specific biological assessment will be prepared as a separate <br /> <br /> <br />document. <br />