WSPC05190

• File Number: 8200.700
• Description: Colorado River Basin - General Publications
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 7/6/1981
• Author: Federal Register
• Title: Federal Register - Part III - Water Resources Council - Synthetic Fuels Development for the Upper Colorado Region Water Assessment
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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Federal Register I Vol. 46. No. 128 I Monday. July 6. 1981 I Notices

WATER RESoURCES COUNCil

Synthetic Fuels Development for the
Upper Colorado RegIon Water
Assessmfllt
AGENCY: Water Resources Council.
ACTION; Notice of water ulessment
report for public review and comment.
SUMMARY: This notice Incorporales the
waler assessment report prepared by
the Waler Resources Council under the
provisions of Section 13{a) of the
Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research
and Development Act of 1974.
DATE; Comments on this report are due
on or before October S. 1981. A 9O-day
comment period Is provided by law;
howe\ler. because the waler Resources
Council will be terminated September
30,1961. the staff may not have time to
respond to and formally Incorporate
comment. inlo the official \VRC
snalysls submitted to the Secretary of
Energy, Interested person are. therefore.
urged to submll commenta before
September 1. 1961.
Reference for comments
This summary report only highlights
important 8Spects of the full technical
report, Therefore. reviewers should use
the fulltcchnical report for comment.
For copies of the technical report
contact: Joyce Doherty. U.S. Water
Resources Council. 2120 L Street. NW"
Washington. D.C. 20037. Phone: 202/1.54-
835~
ADDRESS: Send comments to: Gerald D.
Seinwill. Acting Director. U.s. Water
Resources Council 2120 L Street. NW..
Washington. D,C. 20037.
FOR FURTHER INFOAMAnON CONTACT:
Frank S. Davenport. Program Leader. or
Joyce Doherty. Staff Specialist. U.S.
Waler Resources Council 2120 L Street.
NW~ Washington. D.C. 20037. phone:
202/Z54-8JS2
Dilled: June 29. 1981,
GeraldD,Sein...ill,
A.clilllJDi~or.
I. Preface
The U.s. Water Resources Council
IWRC) staff has prepared this report
under the provisions of paragraph lal of
Section 13 of the Federal Nonnuclear
Energy Research and Oe\'elopment Act
of 1974. as amended. The report is the
result of an assessment of water
requirements. water supply a\'ailability.
and other water implications of
synthetic fuels de\'elopment in the
Upper Colorado River Region. Under a
memorendum of agreement with WRC,
the Colorado Deparlment of Natural
Resources managed the regional

assessment and published a regional
report entitled The A vailabilit}, of _
Water for Oil Shale and Coal
Gasification Development in the Upper
Colorado River Basin, That report
serves as the principal basis for this
report and supporting technical reports.
which are available on request from the
U.S. Water Resources Council,
Publication of the report in the Federal
Register is mandated under the
provisions of Section 13 to enable public
review and comment during a 9O-day
period, Comments on the report are to
be submitted to: Gerald D. SeinwilL
Acting Director. U.s. Water Resources
Council. 2120 L Street. NW..
Washington. DC 20037.
After the 9O-day review period. the
WRC staff will analyze the comments
received and will revise the report as
appropriate. WRC will forward the
comments. the WRC analysis. and the
final water assessment report to the
Secretary of the U.s. Department of
Energy.
A.. PurpOS6 of Report
The purpose of the report i. to
describe the availability of water to
support the production of synfuels
through coal and oU shale conversion
technologies and to Identify major
effects that synfuels development could
have on the water resources of the
Region.
The report is lntended to support
national and regional energy supply
planning and declslonmaldng. It is also
designed to serve water resources
managers and decilllonmakers In the
conception. implementatJon. and
operation of water management
measurel and programs needed to
support energy development.
The report wal not prepared nor was
the assessment designed to address site-
specific questions, Therefore. users of
the report are cautioned nol to interpret
Infonnation as applicable to specific
sitel.
B. Authorization
The Federal Nonnuclear Energy
Research and Development Act of 1974.
as amended. authorizes an extensive
and accelerated program for research
and development of nonnuclear energy
technologies that wl1l lead to full-scale
commercializatlon by sodally and
em'ironmentally acceptable means.
Within the Act. Congress expressed a
strong concern about the possible water
resources implications of new energy
technologies. The governing principles
of the Act state: "Any program for the
development of a technology which may
require significant consumplh'e use of
waler after the lechnolog)' has reached

the stage of commercial application
shall include thorough consideration of
the impacts of such technology and use
on water resoources pursuant to the
provisions of Section 13:' Subsection (a)
of Section 13. the authorization for this
report. provides that the U,S. Water
Resources Council shall conduct waler
assessments for such nonnuclear energy
technologies.

C. Objectives of Assessment

The assessment objectives were:
It) To aslen water supply availability
for production of synfuels through coal
and oil shale technology developmenl
(2) To aBSess the waler and related
land resources implications of such
development. including detenninations
of (a) water requirements.lb} effects on
waler quality. (cl costs of waler
supplies. {d} costs of wastewater
disposal. and {e} environmental.
economic. and social impacts of water
use.
(3) To provide DOE and other energy
Interests with lrifOnDation useful for the
development of nonnuclear energy
research. demonstration. and
developmentlcommerclalizaUon)
programs.

II. Summary of Major f'"tndings

A.. Water Refl.uirements

Synfuel. development will Increase
the annual consumptive water use in the
Upper Colorado Region by about 150,000
acre-feet per year for each million
barrels IoU equivalent) per day of
production.

B. Water Supply A voilobility

The Region's total water resources
will be able to support nearly 3 million
barrel. of oil equivalent synfuels
production per day,
Synthetic fuels developmentln some
de\'elopment areas will be limited
unless additional waler supply
measures (I.e~ reservoira. water import..
groundwater) are developed. The White
River area in Colorado and Utah with
large oil Ihale reserves Is of particular
concern.
Provisions of the Compact among the
Upper Basin States. which allocates
water supplie. among the States. may
ultimalely constrain Iynfuels
development, Speclf1cally. conversion of
coal mined from the Four Comers aua
in New Mexico and both coal and oil
shale conversion in Colorado. may
ultimatel)' be limited by these
constraints.

C. Water Quality Effects

Wastewaters from synthetic fuels
de\'elopment will be minimal. These will

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