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<br />estimated at 450,000 acre-feet. It would be possible to reallocate <br /> <br />some of this depletion to the White River Basin before all of the <br /> <br />projects are constructed. <br /> <br />Such reallocation would be a painful process at the best. <br /> <br />It would require a revision of priorities by the state government. <br /> <br />Essentially, it would require decision as to whether or not the <br /> <br />interests of the people of the state of Colorado and of the United <br /> <br />States would be best served by a reallocation of some water supplies <br /> <br />to serve the oil shale industry. I had long hoped that this decision <br /> <br />could be delayed until I terminated my employment with the state water <br /> <br />board, and this still may be the case. However, 1 am afraid that <br /> <br />some resolution of this problem will have to be reached in the near <br /> <br />future. <br /> <br />In the White River Basin there are sufficient ground water <br /> <br />supplies to sustain a prototype oil shale industry. However, under <br /> <br />full development the ground water supplies would have a very short <br /> <br />life. Any valley alluvial aquifer would be quickly drawn down. These <br /> <br />ground waters will become increasingly saline as time goes on, creating <br /> <br />disposal problems and intensifying surface water competition. prolonged <br /> <br />ground water pumping would reduce aquifer pressures and lower water <br /> <br />levels, thereby reducing spring flows that are currently used by <br /> <br />wildlife and for irrigation and stock water. In addition, native <br /> <br />saline ground waters may respond to aquifer pressure changes and <br /> <br />-13- <br /> <br />0207 <br />