Laserfiche WebLink
<br />2.16 Federal Water Planning and <br />Development <br />Section 16 gives a brief description of various <br />agency programs. Although the activities of federal <br />agencies are changing, many historical programs are <br />still available. To use them, local people must be <br />informed about program functions and how to gain <br />access. With this information, better interagency <br />and local working relationships are possible. <br />The impact of threatened and endangered <br />species must be considered and planned for in all <br />water planning and development projects. A list of <br />candidates and listed endangered species is <br />presented. Some of the endangered species are <br />razorback sucker, bony tail chub, Colorado pike- <br />minnow (formerly Colorado squawfish), whooping <br />crane, humpback chub, black-footed ferret, barneby <br />ridge-cress, shrubby reed-mustard and the <br />southwestern willow flycatcher. <br /> <br />2.17 Water Conservation <br />This section discusses conservation ideas and <br />their significance to water planning. The need for <br />water pricing measures to provide stable revenues <br />for water users to improve efficiency is also <br />addressed as an important part of any conservation <br />program. <br />Water sources presently being developed are <br />expensive. New sources will be even rnore costly. <br />The time to think about and teach conservation has <br />come. Fortunately, water development in the basin <br />has kept ahead of water needs in modem times. <br />During the next generation (25-30 years), <br />developed supplies in some systems will become <br />fully used, and scarcity will return to some parts of <br />the basin unless new supplies are developed. <br />Conversion of some irrigation water to <br />municipal and industrial uses will likely occur. <br />Increasing the efficiency of farm irrigation practices <br />should continue. <br />Water quality is important in setting up a <br />conservation program. If the goal is to conserve <br />high quality water for meeting culinary growth <br />demand, then providing a separate irrigation pipe <br />network to utilize non-potable water for lawn and <br />garden irrigation may be a logical solution. <br /> <br />Issues impacting water conservation are the <br />need for communities to have plans for future <br />growth, secondary water systems, water-conserving <br />landscapes, and effective water rate schedules. <br />Every community should develop water management <br />and conservation plans and study the feasibility of <br />constructing secondary water systems. Local <br />cornrnunities should also study water-conserving <br />landscapes and adopt water rate schedules that <br />encourage water conservation. <br /> <br />2.18 Industrial Water <br />Section 18 discusses the present and future uses <br />of water for industrial purposes in the Uintah Basin. <br />For this report, industrial water use is defined as <br />water used in mining and manufacturing operations <br />including the production of oil, gas, chemicals, <br />fertilizer or other products. It includes power <br />production, processing, washing, mineral slurrying, <br />oil well water-flooding and cooling operations, as <br />well as ernployee use. Also included, to the extent <br />they can be identified, are such activities as gravel- <br />washing and ready mix concrete production. <br />Present industrial water use for the Uintah <br />Basin is about 11,830 acre-feet. Hydroelectric and <br />coal-fired power plants have a total capacity of <br />150,400 kw, with Flaming Gorge producing 145,850 <br />kw. <br /> <br />2.19 Groundwater <br />Groundwater in the Uintah Basin has been <br />developed for use as public water supplies, irrigation <br />water and stock-watering. Springs were the first <br />method developed to access underground water, <br />followed by wells. <br />Section 19 describes groundwater conditions in <br />the Uintah Basin. The boundaries of an aquifer are <br />physical, thus they may outcrop, i.e., be offset by <br />faulting against an impermeable rock unit. Aquifers <br />may grade laterally into a lower permeability deposit <br />due to changes in the depositional environment, or <br />they may thin and disappear. At any given location, <br />the land surface may be underlain by several <br />aquifers. Each aquifer may have different chemical <br />quality and different hydraulic potential. Each <br />aquifer may be recharged in a different location and <br />rnay flow in a different direction. Groundwater <br /> <br />2-7 <br />