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<br />.. <br /> <br />..... <br />w <br />~," <br />o <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />W'2.ter Uses <br /> <br />Prese~t water depletions in the Upper Colorado River ~egion empha- <br />size irrigated agriculture. Of total present de?l~tions (ap?roximately <br />3.1 ~illi0~ acre-feet (u.af)), about 69 perc20t (2.2 ~af) is irrigated <br />agriculture. Colorado accounts for ~ore th2~ one-half of this use. <br /> <br />The other major present depletiDn is exports, or tran3~asin diversions. <br />Much Colorado River t-:ater is c.i'lerced to th:2 eas-::ern slope. of Colorado <br />for municipal a~d industrial use and for irrigated agriculture. Of the <br />764,000 AF expo~ted from the Region, C010ra20 aCCQllnts for 541,000 AF <br />(70 percent). Lesser, but non2~neless i~porta~t, depletions occur <br />throughout the ~egiQn for the~al power (steam electric po~;er gener- <br />ation); fish, wildlife, and recreation; minerals; and municipal and <br />industrial uses. See cha~t2r 3 for details. <br /> <br />Future ~Jt8r depletions are, of course, ?rojections a~c ar~ largely <br />cl2p2nde~t O[l such factors ~s development of ~onventional (e.g., steam <br />electric) end 2~er6ing ~~2rgJ technologies (in this case, oil sh21e <br />2':ld co.:!l g2.sification), nation.al en~rgy d~!!Iands, cO:1struction of r~cL=.iI!.- <br />1tion projects, a~d ~ari~U5 other pol~tical, eco~o~ic, and ~nvi~on~ental <br />fo:r:es. The '1'..;i:::~olJ::lr ar,d "'..;it~lI eoergi:1g -2.::1erg:' tech:.l.olog~: (~t:T) sceCl- <br />arios (nine coobinatioc5 in all) shc~ i~cre2si~g depletions in all cat- <br />egories bet~~'ee~ the pres~[1t and the ye3.r 2000. Incre3.5es if'. the:-IJa1. <br />pm_'er (320 flerc~:1t), mi~erals (115 gerc.ent), 2:;".d fish, '..,ildlif~, a.r.d <br />r2cr~ation (12~ ?ercenc) account for the greatest r21ative chaGg~s i~ <br />the medi<.:..!.:i 1I",'ithoL.:.t ~ETII sce:!ario. All other use ':2tegor:i.es ~nc'[ea5ed <br />1='55 th2.:1 100 pe-rce.nc fro.-n che prese::1t to 2000 i'C1 the ::IediuTI'. "withcut" <br />scenario (see chapter 6). <br /> <br />!:Hith ESi" scenarios, the result of 3 ID.ar:-i2ge of the "'..,ithout" <br />sce~arios 2~d the ~ET projections produced by DO~ snd t~e study ~anage~, <br />show fa~rly signific2~t deplecio'C15 for EET in the year 2000 (see chapter <br />6). The high "-..,rith EST!! 5ceoal:'io, for e.x2.!!J.?le., 5:10"'-5 a II8Xi:-Ql![il of <br />376,000 AF of increased deple:ions 2S a result or EET develo?oent. Sig- <br />nific2.:l.t SET depletions are showTl for oil s~ale develoblment in Colora.do <br />and Utah and for coal gasificatiQn in ~ew Mexic.o. <br /> <br />Totals for the "with" scen2.rios, then, give some perspective on <br />Regiom./ide depletion projections. The "high-high" corr.bi<'latton (i.e., the <br />high 1I",'ith0ut EE'TI! :J1.2rried to the "high EET" projec!:io!.1s) shm~.s proj~c!:t2d <br />depletions in this Qost extre~e case of about 5.2 ~af by 2000. The <br />reader: may ke.ep in mi'Qd that, although indefi~ite, a general upper <br />limit of 5.8 maE is generally d~scus5ed S5 ~xi2um ?ossi~le consl!~ptive <br />use in the. Upper Colorado in li3ht of COlilpact, tre.3.ty, physical, cmd <br />o~her constrai~ts. <br /> <br />1-3 <br />