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<br />than twenty years ago it was believed that the major oil shale <br /> <br />activity would take place in the Grand Valley. However as further <br /> <br />exploration took place, the White River Basin began to overshadow the <br /> <br />Grand Valley in terms of potential oil shale production. Since the <br /> <br />water resources of the Ivhite River are rather small as compared to <br /> <br />the main stem of the Colorado River, the furnishing of water for the <br /> <br />oil shale industry in the White River Basin does pose a much greater <br /> <br />problem than exists in the Grand Valley. <br /> <br />In the Grand Valley area there are two existing courses of <br /> <br />action open to the oil shale industry which would provide an immediate <br /> <br />and adequate water supply. One of these courses is to secure con- <br /> <br />tracts for the delivery of water from existing federal reclamation <br /> <br />projects. The other course is the purchase of existing privately <br /> <br />owned water rights. <br /> <br />action. <br /> <br />I will briefly discuss these two courses of <br /> <br />On a contractual basis, the existing Green ~buntain Reser- <br /> <br />voir, a unit of the Colorado-Big Thompson federal reclamation project, <br /> <br />could supply about 50,000 acre-feet of water annually to the Grand <br /> <br />Valley area. The existing Ruedi Reservoir, a unit of the Fryingpan- <br /> <br />Arkansas federal reclamation project, could supply about 70,000 acre- <br /> <br />feet of water annually for use in the Grand Valley on a contractual <br /> <br />basis. There is some contingency in the availability of water from <br /> <br />Ruedi Reservoir. The potential Basalt project would utilize <br /> <br />-7- <br />