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<br />peaking on an interconnected transmission system. The Shoshone <br />plant was described above. The Green Mountain powerplant~ a <br />part of the Colorado-Big Thompson complex, has an installed <br />capacity of 21,600 kilowatts and is only 40 miles to the northeast <br />of the Sweetwater Project area. The 56.400 kilowatt peaking <br />capability of the Sweetwater Project would provide an extremely <br />valuable addition to power in this area. <br /> <br />The oil shale industry is expected to develop near Rifle, Cclorado~ <br />50 miles westoftheproject. Indications are that a city of 400,000 <br />will develop in that vicinity. Chemical industries affiliated with <br />the oil shale development will also require power. Although in- <br />vestigations show that all the power production planned for the <br />Sweetwater Project could be sold to the present Inarket, these <br />additional developments should enhance the value of peaking <br />capacity constructed in the project. <br /> <br />VI/ater Service <br /> <br />Consideration was given to the potential water-service market to <br />water users diverting both upstreanl and downstream from the <br />project. Present market conditions .are favorable for long-term <br />contracts. Future possibilities are excellent for marketing any <br />water not committed in the early years of operation. <br /> <br />Upstream: As Colorado towns on the western slope of the :Rocky <br />Mountains upstream from the project are very small, the upstream <br />market for water service would be limited to irrigation in the <br />Colorado River Basin, and to inadequately supplied municipalities <br />on the eastern slope that could be serviced by mean s of trans- <br />mountain diversions already constructed, under construction~ and <br />planned, <br /> <br />2116 <br /> <br />Irrigators upstream whose water-right priorities ar~ junior to <br />those downstream from the project and who have water shortages <br />should be interested in purchasing water service from the Sweet- <br />water Project. As previously discussed herein under the section <br />,IWater )~ights.;1 Colorado law permits the diversion of water up- <br />stream if water in like amount is replaced to the stream to supply <br />the senior, or older, downstream rights. Irrigation water service <br />could be sold by the Sweetwater Project within the following limi- <br />tation: 1Vater releases from the project for irrigation purposes <br />would have to be timed in accordance with the power requirements; <br />only the releases coincidental to both uses could be ,marketed to <br />irrigators. <br /> <br />Downstream: Municipalities downstream from the project pre- <br />sently have adequate water supplies~ but those diverting from the <br />river are plagued by silt problems during the spring snowmelt <br />and after heavy summer showers. A pipeline down the valley <br />carrying the clear discharge fron1 the Dotsero Power plant would <br />probably attract their business. Investment in such a pipeline~ <br />however, would not be justified by the present population of the <br />valley. <br /> <br />Drawing No.1, page 2~ shows the location of tremendous oil- <br />shale deposits downstream from the project. They lie exposed <br />and readily available in hills and 700-foot cliffs along miles of <br />escarpment. It is reported that the technical problems of extract- <br />ing oil from shale have been solved to the point where it can now <br />compete with petroleum extracted by means of wells. \\"orld sur- <br />pluses have delayed oil production from shale, but the need for <br />this industry as -a defense measure should soon put an 2nd to the <br />postponement of its development. <br /> <br />Predictions are that from two to four cities with a population of <br />400,000 each will be constructed in western Colorado to serve the <br /> <br />18 <br />