WSP03702

• File Number: 8040.200
• Description: Section D General Studies-Energy
• Date: 2/10/1974
• Author: Steve Wynkoop
• Title: The Denver Post-Scramble On to Develop Water for Oil Shale Projects
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: News Article/Press Release

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Feb. 10.1974

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BJ STEVE WYSKOOf'
Deo\"rr Po<Jt Staff Wrllrr
Colorado waler official, ha\'!' spent
year~ and millions of dollars anticipating
}il shale development only to find the~'
misjudli:M where dpve]opmenl i! likely to
occur.
As a ronseqUenci', mon~ than 125,000
acrr./cet of water is ready to srrve II
SOO,OOO barrel.a-day oil shale induSlry
along the Colorado River that may Ilev!"[
develop to that size.
Meanwhile, a scramble ]$0/1 to develop
waler sloragi' proJecl~ in the White River

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THE

ENVIRONMENT

WEST

Basin north of the Colorado In shale-rich
territory.
A high. rocky ridg~lh'" Roan Plat-
form-visible north of 1-70 between Rifle
and Grand Valley Mparatu the Iwo
basins.
The shale developers' day may be saved
bccausf' the Piceance Creek Basin in
western Colorado where IJl{Ire than I
trillion barreh of oil ~hale- is found i.\
richer in underground water than anyone
believed.
"Ten years ago, nobody knew the White
River side- or the basin contained the
rich~st ~hale dtposit~," sain Jo'elix ~park~,

ON

diredor of the Colorado Water Conserva-
tion Board.
As a result, litlle attention was paid to
neveloping water storage projects on thl'
White River to servl' a shale oil industry
that requirl's thl' consumptiw use of three
to six harrelsof water for l'W'ry barrel of
oil produced.
~ow, competition Is keen for the deVE'I-
opment of water sl.orage projects OIl the
White River. The two Colorado oil shale
Iracls to bt' leased by tht' federal govt'rn-
menl are both in thl' White RiVE'r
drainage.
The Color.ado River Watt'r Conservatlon
District has hopes of dl'veloping a watl'r
storage and hydroelectric plant on the
South fo'ork or the White River.
Upstream, in an area known as thl'
meadows, the Rocky Mountain Po\.l"er Co.
wants to use essentiallv the same water toO
huild another project. .
Both areas are eYl'd for Inclusion Into},
the proposed fo1attops WilderMss Area,.....
which would n('gale water-dl'velopml'nt
plans.
The Senale hllS alrelldy gi\'en llpproval\l
In a wilderness bill th<lt would pllt an end
to development plans.
Another Hearing
The House is going to ~\'t' lhf' bill
another hearing brfore makinJi: a decision.
accordmg to Roland Fischer, .'Iecrl'lary-
engineer of the Colorado Rivl'r Water
Conservation District.
Farther north, on the North Fork of the
White RiVer. plans are forging ahead for
Congress to authorize construction of the
Yellow Jackl't Projt'ct I'ast of Mt't"kl'.r.
Water from the prOject could hi' used by
oil shale developers.
The flurry of activity could spel1 doom
ror one or more of the fin' irrigation proj-
ects in southwest Colorado that ....-ere au-
thorired for construction in 1968 and Wl.'rf'
to be built apace with the mass-in'. $1.2
billion Central Arizona Project to pro\ide
water for Phof>ni:t and Tucson.
The projects. listed in order or priority
as..'<igned b!o' I!le Waler Conservation Soanl
fire thl" Dallas. Animas-La Plata, f)rIlQrt'S
San ~ligll...1 and West Oivide.

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Scramble On to Develop Water for Oil-Shale Projects
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GREEN MOUNTAIN RESERVOIR ON THE BLUE RIVER BETWEEN DILLON AND I(REMMLlNG
Woll'r from the re'eryoir moy be u,ed in Ihe work 10 e~t'oct oil f,om ~nOrlt in We5hHI"t g07'"dO