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<br />b. Lately, the USGS has received many requests for data from energy companies. Oil and gas <br />well permit applications to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2006 <br />were triple the number made in 2000. <br /> <br />c. Many of the richest oil shale deposits are in the Piceance Basin northwest of Rifle on land <br />managed by the BLM and National Forest land. Heavy saline mineral deposits are found in <br />the same places as the richest oil shale deposits. Aquifers typically lie above and below oil <br />shale deposits. Deeper aquifers tend to have more saline water. Water is not only consumed <br />when minerals and oil and gas are extracted, but if saline water contaminates fresher aquifers, <br />the resulting loss in water quality will also amount to a loss of water quantity. <br /> <br />d. Colorado consumes about 2.5 million acre feet a year, about 70% of the amount that it's <br />entitled to under the Colorado River Compact. About 4.5m acre feet leave the state every <br />year. The USGS estimates it takes 1 to 4 barrels of water to develop a barrel of oil from oil <br />shale. Up to 13 million barrels per day of oil could be developed, so this amounts to 100,000 <br />to 700,000 acre feet required. <br /> <br />e. Regional monitoring on a site-specific basis is needed. There are 4 oil shale test plants <br />currently being developed. Commercial oil shale development is expected within the next <br />10-20 years. The cumulative impacts on water resources are not understood, and the cunent <br />baseline is poorly defined. Data is not yet being assembled to assess the regional or <br />cumulative impacts of oil shale development. <br /> <br />f. Water consumed in coalbed methane development is assumed to be non-tributary, and <br />therefore owned by the overlying landowner. But, surface water rights could be impacted if <br />you depressurize at significant depths. <br /> <br />9. Presentation by Cathy Kay, oil shale organizer for the Western Colorado Congress (WCC). <br /> <br />a. Shell's test plant is proprietary and it is not releasing any data, so it is not clear how much <br />water will be required to develop oil shale. Recent water purchases by Shell are listed below; <br />together these total 130,000 acre feet assuming continuous flow for an entire year. <br /> <br />1. 70 cfs when it purchased the YZ Ranch for $14 million, and <br />11. 60 cfs on the Colorado River <br />111. 50 cfs on Salt Creek. <br /> <br />L\CWCB Imaging\Caleb\Minutes\Colorado\2007\Minutes Feb 2007 CBRTdoc <br /> <br />5 <br /> <br />7/l< <br />