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The coals of the Basin constitute a major portion of total western coal reserves, with discoveries every year adding to the Basin's potential. These generally good quality bituminous and subbituminous coals and an anthracite deposit in Gunnison County, Colorado, have desirable charac- teristics including low sulfur and ash contents and medium-to high-Btu values. Colorado's most significant coal deposits and mining are found in the northwestern part of the State. The high quality of Colorado coal places it in demand for steam electric generation and metallurgical applications. Utah's coal is located primarily in the southcentral portion of the State. Mining is mostly underground with current production about 10 million tons per year. Wyoming has extensive coal deposits; rapid growth in mining is occurring in the Rock Springs area. Ongoing and planned development of the Basin's land and water resources have and will continue to create major changes in the environmental, social and economic conditions of the Upper Colorado River Basin. Water depletions of the Upper Basin are already over 27 percent of the natural water supply. It is estimated that with projected conventional uses, water depletions will increase to 37 percent of the supply. The projected 3-million barrel per day synfuels industry would deplete about 3 percent of the supply; with this added to conventional uses, the total i depletions would be over 40 percent of the Upper Basin Supply. Water scarcity in the Basin has resulted in competing uses for available waters. Increased demand from energy, agricultural and municipal interests have created substantial uncertainty over how supplies will be used. Water availability and use will be affected by a series of complex institutional factors that include an international treaty, interstate compacts, a U. S. Supreme Court decree, several acts of Congress, State water rights laws, Federal and Indian reserved rights and environmental regulatory laws and programs. Development of resources requiring water will pose potential conflicts and significant challenges to the existing water management structure at all levels--international, State/Federal, interstate, intra- state, and local. In order to meet the demands for economic growth, groundwater supplies will be developed, and will result in altered groundwater flows, quantity and water quality; new reservoirs-will be built and in turn further modify the chemical, physical, geological and biological characteristics of the Basin's river system with impacts of these alterations felt well beyond the project sites; pipelines, canals, pumping facilities and water import systems will be built and will: disrupt terrestrial, wildlife habitats through land area disturbance and associated secondary impacts; and water transfers from irrigated agriculture to energy interests will reduce water availability to agriculture, the amount of agricultural production, land area used in irrigated agriculture, and the number of families deriving a living from agriculture.