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<br />O!lJ2151 <br /> <br />B. Background History <br /> <br />When the 1973 oil embargo was imposed by the oil producing and exporting <br /> <br /> <br />countries (OPEC), the United States took a serious look at other alternatives <br /> <br /> <br />for obtaining oil. Rich oil shale deposits in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming <br /> <br /> <br />became the subject for possible development as an alternate source of oil. <br /> <br />Federal Government land containing these deposits was put up for bid to encourage <br /> <br /> <br />oil companies to develop this resource in a prototype lease arrangement. Phillips <br /> <br /> <br />Petroleum Company and Sun Oil Company (now Sonoeo Energy Development Company) <br /> <br /> <br />were the succesful bidders on Tract Ua (see figure I). Phillips and Sun <br /> <br /> <br />joined with Sohio Petroleum Company and were the successful bidders on lease <br /> <br /> <br />tract Ub as the White River Shale Oil Corporation (see figure 1). The lease <br /> <br /> <br />to tract Ub was subsequently assigned to Sohio Petroleum Company, now Sohio <br /> <br /> <br />Natural Resources Company. I June 1974 the three companies formed the White <br /> <br /> <br />River Shale Project (WRSP) for the purpose of establishing and implementing <br /> <br /> <br />a plan for the joint development of tracts Ua and Ub. <br /> <br />Water would be required in processing the oil shale. The State of Utah <br /> <br /> <br />had filed to approprate 350 second-feet and 250,000 acre-feet from White River <br /> <br /> <br />and tributaries in May 1965 for the purpose of mining, drilling, and retorting oil <br /> <br /> <br />shale, etc. These oil companies naturally then looked to the State for a water <br /> <br /> <br />supply. WRSP has indicated a need for up to 26,000 acre-feet of water annually <br /> <br /> <br />to process oil shale in lease tracts Ua and Ub. Also Tosco Croporation, under <br /> <br />an option to purchase state oil shale leases, has been and is planning to develop <br /> <br />oil shale in the White River area, and has requested 18,000 acre-feet of water <br /> <br /> <br />from the State for a water supply. <br /> <br />In early 1974 the State of Utah undertook studies for providing storage on <br /> <br /> <br />White River adjacent to the lease tracts. Many damsites both off-stream and on- <br /> <br /> <br />stream were investigated. By February 1975, the site in Sec. 17, TIOS, R24E, <br /> <br /> <br />on-stream was selected as the most feasible site from surface indications. <br /> <br /> <br />Foundation drilling and test pitting for borrow materials then proceeded at the <br /> <br /> <br />selection site. <br /> <br />C. Obj ectives <br /> <br />The Utah State Division of Water Resources filed an application on August 4, <br /> <br /> <br />1975 to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a right-of-way easement to <br /> <br />construct a dam and reservoir on the White River in Uintah County, Utah. Land <br /> <br /> <br />ownership of the dam and reservoir area is indicated in figure 2. Since the <br /> <br />- 3 - <br /> <br />,i <br /> <br />