WSP05112

• File Number: 7630.175
• Description: Wild and Scenic-Dolores River
• State: CO
• Basin: San Juan/Dolores
• Water Division: 7
• Date: 4/7/1975
• Title: Dolores Study-Wild and Scenic-Corresp Reports tech etc 1968-81-Mineral Data
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Data

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Table 1 lists value of mineral production in Dolores River basin

counties for the 1951-1973 interval. The 1973 data are preliminary.

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Most of the mineral production in Grand and San Juan Counties,

Utah" is recovered from land outside the hydrologic boundary of the

basin. Petroleum from the Aneth and other smaller oilfields in the Four

Corners region comprises'the bulk of value of output in San Juan County.

Similarly, potash, or potassium salts, a fertilizer mineral, from the

Moab area weighs heavily in Grand County data.

In contrast, essentially all production in Colorado counties listed

in table 1 is recovered from land within the basin.

Therefore, the

total cited for Colorado counties in table 1 ~pproximate in aggregate

the total value of mineral output from the hydrolo~ic Dolores River

basin.

Minerals produced in the Dolores River basin counties in 1972 are

listed in table 2. Tabulated by order of value in the ,seven counties,

the minerals-mix is typical of late-1960's early-1970's production.

Precious and base metals output in the basin has been relatively

stable since the early 1950's. Nonmetallics production--particularily

stone, sand, and gravel--fluctuates generally in step with the business

cycle, tending to be a leading indicator of economic crests and troughs,

a reflection of construction-industry sensitivity to interest costs.

Nonmetallics output is almost entirely used to satisfy regional demands.

Petroleum became a major factor in production statistics with the advent

of the Four Corners discoveries in the late 1950's. Potash began to add

to mineral values in the mid-1960's.

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