WSP01461

• File Number: 8549.800
• Description: Rio Grande Basin-Miscellaneous Small Projects and Project Studies-Rio Grande Assessment
• State: CO
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Water Division: 3
• Date: 2/1/1981
• Author: Brandes Kier Stecher
• Title: Water Resources Reference Base for the Assessment of the Rio Grande Region
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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1. INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

This report has been prepared as an interim product of the 13(a) assess-
ment study being conducted for the Rio Grande Region (Figure 1) by Camp
Dresser & McKee Inc. (CDM) under contract to the U.S. Water Resources Council
(WRC). The assessment is authorized by paragraph (a) of Section 13 of the
Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974, as amended,
and it involves an analysis of the water-related impacts of emerging energy
technology (EET) development during the next twenty years. The terminology
"emerging energy technology" refers to nonnuclear, nonconventional sources of
energy such as coal 9asification and liquifaction, enhanced oil recovery,
geothermal electric, oil shale, solar radiation, small-scale low-head hydro-
power, biomass conversion and wind power. Development of several of these
EET's has been projected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the Rio
Grande Region [1]*. It is the purpose of the 13(a) assessment to evaluate
the availability of water supplies to support such EET development and to
determine the implications of commitment of these water supplies to EET
development considering related costs, water resources conditions, and
environmental and socioeconomic factors.

Activity I of the Work Plan [2] for the Rio Grande 13(a) assessment
call s for the "development of a water resources reference base contai ni ng
determinations of present and future (year 2000) water use, present and
future surface and ground water supplies, the availability of these supplies
for EET development (including consideration of hydrologic and other
uncertainties), and water quality considerations". The results of this
initial effort are presented in this interim report, and they will provide
the basis for evaluating the overall water-related impacts of EET development
in subsequent phases of the study.

*Numbers in brackets refer to specific items in the List of References.

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