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<br />.:.' <br /> <br />(~J <br />., co <br />'-,..} <br />.-! <br />(..> <br />C <br /> <br />AQUATRAIN <br />April 1983 <br /> <br />Section 1. <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />The AQUATRAIN Project is a joint venture between the Federal Government, <br />private industry, and the seven Colorado River Basin States (Arizona, <br />California, COlorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and wyoming) that would <br />provide least-cost saline water control and economically competitive coal <br />transportation. <br /> <br />The AQUATRAIN project as currently conceived proposes a pipeline systea <br />carrying saline water, coal, and other commodities, possibly from as far <br />north as southwestern wyoming to markets in the southwest U. S. or to a <br />point on the Pacific Coast for export. <br /> <br />The AQUATRAIN pipeline system would carry saline water too salty for general <br />use. This saline water would come from natural and manmade sources along <br />the pipeline corridor. The water, carrying large quantities of dissolved <br />minerals (salts), now flows directly into the COlorado River. Once in <br />the river, these salts cause severe problems for downstream agricultural, <br />municipal, and industrial water users. <br /> <br />With AQUATRAIN, the salt-laden water would be transported to points of <br />beneficial use or disposed of in a cost-effective manner, thus preventing <br />additional damage caused by saline water--currently estimated at <br />$110 million per year. Without further salinity control, damages attributable <br />to saline water are projected at nearly $270 million (constant 1982 dollars) <br />annually by the year 2010. Neither of these estimates includes saline <br />water damages to the environment and public health, or damage in Mexico. <br /> <br />~--- - -----.------. <br /> <br />Transporting coal in liquid carbon diadde (CO ) is the main feature making <br />this project economically possible. Liquid cJ2 transport of other commodities <br />such as soda ash, grain, and clay products is proposed, but laboratory <br />and pilot plant testing will be needed. <br /> <br />Western U.S. coal--which has a low sulfur content and high British Thermal <br />Unit (BTU)* rating--is an ideal fuel for electric utility powerplants. <br />However, escalating rail freight rates are slowing the growth and development <br />of western U.S. coal. These freight rates often result in a 10Q-percent <br />increase between coal costs at the mine mouth and coal delivered to the <br />customer. AQUATRAIN would be able to transport coal at lower rates from <br />the start, and the effects of inflation would escalate the transportation <br />costs at one-fourth to one-third the rate of rail delivery systems. <br /> <br />*A British Thermal Unit is a standard measure of a fuel's heat value. <br />One BTU is the heat required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit <br /> <br />1 <br />