2003

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 2003
• Author: U.S. Department of the Interior.
• Title: Quality of Water, Colorado River Basin.
• USFW Year: 1985.
• USFW - Doc Type: Progress Report No. 12,
• Copyright Material: NO

PART VI

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

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in operation in 1991. It was assumed that each new unit will require
6,000 acre-feet a year. These figures result in an estimated 1983 use
of 24,000 acre-feet and a projected use of 30,000 acre-feet in 1990 and
36,000 acre-feet in 2000.

Water from these two powerplants is and will come from
(1) the purchase of 12,000 acre-feet of Emery County Project water,
(2) purchase of up to 2.4,000 acre-feet of private irrigation water
rights, and (3) the development of 3,000 to 5,000 acre-feet of new water
made possible by construction of Electric Lake Dam. Water surplus to
powerplant needs is leased back to the irrigation users.

k. Conversion of Irrigation to Power

Most of the water developed for the Emery County power-
plants comes from the purchase of irrigation water rights. It is
assumed that for every thousand acre-feet of diversion rights purchased
and used by the power company, irrigation consumptive use will decrease
by 500 acre-feet.l/

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It is estimated that 14,000 acre-feet of diversion rights
were used by the plants in 1983 and 20,000 acre-feet of diversion rights
wi 11 be used by 2000. This translates into a decrease in irrigation
depletion of 7,000 and lO,OOO acre-feet, respectively.

Conversions of irrigation water to powerplant consumption
were not increased beyond 2000. It was assumed that State policy would
favor retaining an agricultural economic base and new development would
come from the State's unused allotment of Colorado River water.

1. Other Utah Power & Light Company Powerplants

The Utah Division of Water Resources, after consultation
with Utah Power & Light Company, has estimated that beginning in the
year 2000 about one new 400- to 500-MW unit will come on line every 5 to
7 years somewhere in the Colorado River Basin. Exact locations for
these new units will depend on how load demands develop. Assuming a
depletion of 6,000 acre-feet per unit, Table A shows an increase of a
6,000-acre-foot depletion each decade beginning in 2000.

m. Deseret Generation and Transmission Co-op

Deseret Generation and Transmission Co-op has begun con-
struction of a 400-MW unit east of Green River near Bonanza, Utah.
Commercial operation is scheduled for December 1984. Water depletion is
estimated at 6,000 acre-feet with pumping from the Green River. Unit 2,
also 400 MW, is scheduled for operation in 1992.

1/ There are some reasons to believe that irrigation use may not
be declining by this high rate. Additional data and analysis are
needed to refine these estimates.

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