7905

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7905
• Author: U.S. Department of the Interior.
• Title: Quality of Water, Colorado River Basin.
• USFW Year: 1995.
• USFW - Doc Type: Progress Report No. 17,
• Copyright Material: NO

Ute Indian (Tribe) water rights were settled, and the Tribe was allocated approxi-
mately 100,000 acre-feet of additional depletion. This depletion is anticipated by the
year 2040.

Division of Water Resources Projects-In August 1984, the Division of Water
Resources (DWR) of the State of Utah determined that about 16,000 acre-feet of water
would be depleted in 1990 by DWR-sponsored projects. Division of Water Resources
estimates that depletions will increase to 28,000 acre-feet by 2020.

Emery County Powerplants-Both units of the Huntington Powerplant of Utah
Power & Light Company were in service in 1983. Water use records indicate that the
powerplant uses up to 12,000 acre-feet a year. Two units of the Hunter Powerplant of
Utah Power & Light Company, located near Castledale, Utah, were online in 1983.
Water use records for this plant also indicate a maximum annual use of about
12,000 acre-feet. One additional unit began operation in March 1983. Construction of
the fourth unit has been suspended indefinitely. It was assumed that each unit would
require 6,000 acre-feet a year. These figures result in an estimated use of
30,000 acre-feet.

Water from these two powerplants will come from: (1) the purchase of 8,000 acre-feet
of Emery County Project water, (2) the purchase of up to 24,000 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.

Conversion of Irrigation to Power-Most of the water developed for the Emery
County powerplants comes from the purchase of irrigation water rights. It is assumed
that for every 1,000 acre-feet of diversion rights purchased and used by the power
company, irrigation consumptive use will decrease by 500 acre-feet. There are some
reasons to believe that irrigation use may not be declining by this high rate. Addi-
tional data and analysis are needed to refine these estimates. It is estimated that
18,000 acre-feet of diversion rights were used by the plants in 1990, which translates
into a 9,000-acre-foot decrease in irrigation depletion.

Deseret Generation and Transmission Co-op-Deseret Generation and Trans-
mission Co-op constructed a 400-megawatt (MW) unit east of Green River near
Bonanza, Utah. Commercial operation began in 1984. Water depletion is estimated at
6,000 acre-feet from the Green River. Unit 2, also 400 MW, is scheduled for operation
in 1995.

White River Dam-Evaporation from the White River Reservoir ultimately is
estimated to be 6,000 acre-feet. Completion is anticipated in 2030.

Oil Shale-Present planning indicates that the White River Dam and Reservoir may
be capable of yielding up to 75,000 acre-feet of water annually. Projections of water
use for the oil shale industry are down considerably from projections made 2 years
ago. Utilization is not anticipated until after 2030.

Tar Sands-In November 1983, the Bureau of Land Management issued a draft
environmental impact statement describing development alternatives for special tar

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