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. i'': 1.0 INTRODUCTION--Continued 1. 2 study Area AREA HAS EXTENSIVE ENERGY RESOURCES The White River basin, located in northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah, contains extensive reserves of oil shale, coal, oil, and natural gas. Energy developments are taking place or are being planned in Colorado and Utah. Particular attention is focused on the White River basin because of extens i ve exi st i ng and planned energy-resource deve 1 opment that may affect surface-water quantity and qual i ty. The Whi te Ri ver bas in is located in northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah (fig. 1.2-1). The surface area of the bas in is 5,120 square mil es, 74 percent of whi ch is in Colorado and 26 percent in Utah. The White River flows to the east and drains into the Green River in Utah. Most of the tributaries, such as the South Fork White River, Piceance Creek, and Yellow Creek, drain from the south into the White River. Exi st i ng energy production from the area cons i sts pri marily of oil and natura 1 gas, wi th some coal (fi g. 1. 2-2). Ri 0 Bl anco County, Co 10., con- taining the Rangely oil and natural gas fields, ranks first in Colorado for product i on of these two resources. Two major coa 1fi e 1 ds of the area are the Dansforth Hills coalfield near Meeker, Colo., and the lower White River coal- field near Rangely, Colo. The coal from these areas primarily consists of a highly volatile bituminous type. The most extens i ve underdeve loped natural resource in the bas in is the extensive oil-shale deposits in the Green River Formation of Tertiary age. The Green River Formation is. within the Piceance basin in Colorado, the Uinta bas i n in Utah, and the Green Ri ver and Washaki e bas ins in Wyomi ng. Oil resources in these areas are about 2 trillion barrels (Donnell, 1965). 6