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<br />Oun~S3 <br /> <br />35064 <br /> <br />Federal Register I Vol. -16. No. 128 I Monday. July 6, 1981 I Notices <br /> <br />The cost estimates for treating <br />wastewaters from ..hale oil procening <br />facilities are similar to those for coal <br />gasification plants. <br /> <br />VI. Water Supplies (or Sl-"n(uel, <br />De\'elopmenl . <br /> <br />Projected consumpli\'e UlIe <br />requirements for synfuels and <br />associated growth in ZOOO under the <br />accelerated case are about m.ooo acre- <br />feet annually for the Region. This III <br />aboull0 pen:enl of the year 2000 <br />depletions by conventional water uses. <br />To assess water availability for <br />synfuels development in lhe Region. the <br />physical characteristics of water <br />resources. possible ahemalive sources, <br />and institutional faeton affecting lupply <br />were examined. To detennine water <br />supply adequacy. average and monthly <br />natural now. were adjusted for <br />projected depletions by conventional <br />IIses at the olltflow points of each <br />development area. Natural flow <br />estimates for the period 1906-1914 were <br />used to define steady.state hydrologic <br />conditions. During this period. the <br />nalural flow at Lees Ferry averaged 15.7 <br />maf per year. with a low of less than 7 <br />maf and a high of nearly 24 maf. <br /> <br />A Alternative Means for Water Supply <br /> <br />!-'lve alternative means of water <br />supply for synfuels development were <br />apprailed. They are: (I) additional <br />development of lurface water resources. <br />(2) the transfer of water supplies <br />currently used for Irrigated agriculture. <br />(3) the development of groundwater <br />resources, (4) weather modification to <br />increase precipitation. and (5) the more <br />efficient use of water supplies either <br />exported from the Region for municipal <br />ule or used in the Region for irrigation. <br />1. Development of SUrfOC8 Woter <br />Supplies. Much of the water required for <br />synfuels development is likely to come <br />from the additional development of <br />surface water supplies. Additional <br />development of surface supplies would <br />entail the constf'\lctlon of new <br />reservoirs. pipeline. or canal.. and <br />pumping racilitie.. Where energy <br />facilities are located along major rivers. <br />they may be able to directly divert part <br />of the river now during higher flow <br />periods. Reservoir storage would still be <br />required to guarantee supplies during <br />low.now periods. <br />The estimated capilal requirements to <br />develop surface water resources for <br />synfuels are shown in Table 6. The <br />estimates are based on the assumption <br />that all requirements would be surface <br />supplied. <br /> <br />Table 6.-captal Requirements for Swf8C8 <br />Wal8l" DeveJopment-2000 <br />["'_<Jf1871~l <br /> <br /> 0- -, <br />~"..,,-.,..- - - <br /> - - <br />,-*o.-~. ~ .~ <br />.-... , " <br />-~_._. - .. <br />~~_s..... .~ '" <br />""" """ ... <br />--- '" '" <br />,- .. ',,", <br /> <br />2. IVater Transfers from Irrigated <br />Asricultu1Y!. Substantial quantities of <br />water could be obtained by acquisition <br />of irrigation waler rights. This would <br />reduce the amounl of water currently <br />available for Irrigation. the land area <br />used in irrigated agriculture. and the <br />amount of agricultural production. The <br />number of fann units would also be <br />reduced. as would be number of families <br />deriving a living from agriculture. Such <br />changes would be minor. howe,,'er. <br />compared to the other economic and <br />demographic changes expected to Ihape <br />,1ocial conditions in the Region even <br />without synfuels development. <br />While legally possible in all five <br />Upper Balin Stales, water transfers from <br />irrigated agriculture will probably not <br />occur except in the \Vbite River and <br />Upper Colorado River main Item areas <br />in Colorado. Synfuel companies have <br />alrudy purchued lome water rights <br />from agriculture at these locations. <br />Estimated purchase costs for the water <br />rights range from $500 to $2.000 per acre. <br />loot. Additional cost. will be incurred <br />ror pipeline and pumping from the <br />diversion point to the synfuel facility. <br />Tranders of Irrigation water in the <br />White River basin. howe\'er, could <br />suppy lest than half of the requirement <br />for synfuels developmentln the <br />accelerated case. <br />3. Groundwater Development. The <br />vast majority of water used in the <br />Region comes from surface sources. <br />Because of costa. water quality <br />problems. and other considerations, <br />groundwater has not been used 81 a <br />major supply soune. In certain areas <br />projected for synfuels development. <br />however. groundwater could be a <br />significant supply source for energy <br />projects. <br />Although groundwater is found in <br />many places. it has attracted interest a8 <br />a supply source in only three location8 <br />where concentrated synfuels <br />development coincides with potentially <br />.ignificsnt groundwater resources and <br />insufficient surface supplies. The.e <br />areas are the Piceance Creek structural <br />basin. which underlies a portion of tbe <br />White River and Upper Colorado main <br /> <br />stem development ilreas in Colorado. <br />the Uinta basin in northeastern Utah. <br />and tbe San Juan de,,'elopment Brea in <br />northwestern fl;ew Me:dco. Of these. the <br />Piceance Creek structural basin, which <br />is projected for two-thirds of the oil <br />shale development. has received <br />greatest interest. <br />The year 2000 projections for (his area <br />Indicate 94.000 acre+feet under the <br />baleline case and 194.000 acre. feet of <br />consumptive use under the accelerated <br />case. exclusive of associated growth. <br />To supply the above water <br />requirements from groundwater would <br />require a capitalized cost of <br />apprQ:ximately $25 million for the <br />baseline casa and S60 million for the <br />accelerated case. Since these costs ere <br />only 5 to 10 percent of the eslimated <br />costs to develop surface water supplies <br />from the White River and Upper <br />Colorado River main stem areas. the oil <br />shale Industry may find considerable <br />advantage in usinS groundwater. <br />Under Colorado law. the rights of <br />senior surface water appropriators must <br />be protected from disf'\lption of a <br />groundwater IYltem that di.charges to a <br />natural surface Itream. For the Piceance <br />Creek structural basin. the use of either <br />the upper or Ole lower aquifer would be <br />contingent upon the implementation of <br />steps either to sustain the historic flow <br />of the natural springs that discharge to <br />Piceance and Yellow Creeks or to <br />replace any water removed from tbe <br />surface stream system. <br />Projected well field development and <br />operation would not significantly affect <br />regional income and population. Major <br />groundwater pumping could deplete an <br />e.asenllaUy nonrenewable resource. At <br />the moment. however, no other uses are <br />foreleen for these groundwater supplies. <br />4. Weather Modification. Weather <br />modification could be used to Increase <br />preclpitation and the amount of surface <br />runoff. Weather modification <br />consideration. were limited to winter <br />orographic cloud seeding. Several <br />experimental programs in the Region <br />over the last two decades have <br />increased precipitation 5 to 20 percent. <br />However, the extent to which increased <br />precipitation affects nmoff and <br />ownership of the Increased supplies <br />remains uncertain. In any e"'ent. <br />Increa8ed runoff would 8t least Improve <br />the junior water rights. <br />Estimated costs per acre-fool of water <br />generated through orographic cloud <br />seeding range between $1 and $10. <br />While this cost is very attractive, <br />capturing and delivering water to <br />synfuel facilities would cost about the <br />same as those described for 8urface <br />supplies. <br /> <br />\ '- <br /> <br />I <br />, <br />, <br />I <br />