WSP06798

• File Number: 8040.260
• Description: Section D General Studies-Oil Shale/Coal
• Date: 7/6/1981
• Title: 13a-Oil Shale Data and Notes-Federal Register-Vol 46 No 128-Part III-Water Resources Council-Synthetic Fuels Development for the Upper Colorado Region Water Assessment
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

35054

-

WATER RESoURCES COUNCIL

Federal Register I Vol. 46. No. 128 I Monday. July 6. 1981 I Notices

Synthetic Fuels Development for the
Upper Colorado Region Water
Assessment
AQENCY: Waler Resources Council.
ACTION: Notice of waler assessment
report for public review and comment.
SUMMARY: This notice incorporates the
water 8S1lessrnenl report prepared by
the "....aler Resources Council under the
provisions of Seelion 13{a) of the
Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research
and Development Act of 1974.
DATE: Comments on this report are due
on or before October 5, 1981. A oo.day
comment period is provided by law:
however, because the water Resources
Council will be terminated September
30.1981. the staff may not have lime to
respond 10 and formally incorporate
comments into the oHicial WRC
analysillubmiUed to the Secretary of
Energy. Interested person are. therefore,
urged to submit comments before
September I, 1981.
Reference for comments
Thill summary report only hlghUghts
important aspects of the full technical
reporl. Therefore, reviewers should use
the Cull technical report Cor comment_
For copies of the technical report
conlact Joyce Doherty, U.S. Waler
Rcsources Council, 2120 L Street, NW.,
Washington. D.C. 20037, Phone: 2OZ/254-
63S~
ADORUS: Send comments to: Gerald D.
Seinwlll, Aclin3 Director, U.s. Water
Resources Council 2120 L Street, NW..
Washington, D.C. 20037.
FOR FURTHER .,,.FOAMAnON CONTACT:
Frank S. Davenport. Program Leader. or
Joyce Doherty, Staff Specialist, U.s.
Water Resources Council 2120 L Street,
NW., Washington. D.C. 2:0037, phone:
202/254-635l.
Dated: June 29. 1981.
Gerald D. SeLnwUl,
.1clingDil?JCtor.
I. PreCace
The U.S. Water Resources Council
(WRC) slaff has prepared this report
under Ihe pro\'isions oC paragraph (a) oC
Section 13 oC the Federal Nonnuclear
Energy Research and Development Act
of 1974. as amended. The report is the
result of an assessment of water
requirements. water supply availability,
and other water implications oC
synthetic fuels development in lhe
Upper Colorado River Region. Under a
memorandum of agreement with WRe.
the Colorado Deparlment of Natural
Resources managed the regional

,

assessment and published a regional
report entitled The A voilability of _
Water for Oil Shale and Coal
Gosification Development in the Upper
Colorado River Basin. Thai report
serves as the principal basis for this
report and supporting technical reports,
which are available on request from the
U.S. Water Resources Council.
PubIJcation oC the report in the Federal
Register is mandated under the
provisions of Section 13 to enable public
review and comment during a 9O-day
period. Comments on the report are to
be submitted 10: Gerald D. Seinwlll,
Acting Director, U.S. Water Resources
Council. 2120 L Street. NW.,
Washington, DC 20037.
After the 9O-day review period.. the
WRC staff will analyze the comments
received and will revise the report as
appropriate. WRC will Corward the
comments, the WRC analysis. and the
final water assessment report to the
Secretary of the U.s. Department of
Energy.
A. Purpose of Report
The purpose of the report Is to
describe the availability of water to
support the production of synfuel.
through coal and all shale conversion
technologies and to Identify major
effects that s:rnfuels development could
have on the water resources of the
Region.
The report is intended to support
national and regional energy supply
planning and declsionmaking. II is also
deaigned to serve water resources
managers and decisionmakers in the
conception. implementation. and
operation of water management
me8lures and programs needed to
support energy development.
The reporfw88 not prepared nor was
the assessment designed to address site.
specific questions. ThereCore, users of
the report are cautioned not to interpret
Information as applicable to specific
siles.
B. Authorization
The Federal Nonnuclear Energy
Research and De\'elopment Act of 1974,
a8 amended, aulhorizes an extensive
and accelerated program for research
and development of nonnuclear energy
technologies that wi1llead to full.scale
commercialization by socially and
environmentally acceptable means.
Within the Act. Congress expressed a
strong concern about the possible water
resources Implications oC new energy
technologies. The go\'eming principles
oC the Act state: "An)' program for the
development of a technology which may
require significant consumplive use of
water aftcr the technology has reached

the stage of commercial applicalion
shall include thorough consideration of
the impacts of such technology and use
on water resoources pursuant to the
provisions of Section 13:' Subsection (a)
of Section 13, the authorization Cor this
report. provides that the U.S. Water
Resources Council shall conduct waler
assessments for such nonnuclear energy
technolOgies.

C. Objectives of Assessment

The assessment objectives were:
(1) To assess water supply availability
for production of synfuels through coal
and 011 shale technology development.
(2) To assess the water and related
land resources implications of such
development, including determinations
of (a) water requirements, (bJ effecls on
water quality, (cJ costs of water
supplies, (d) costs of wastewater
disposal. and (e) environmental,
economic. and social impacts oC water
use.
(3J To provide DOE and other energy
interests with information useful Cor the
development of nonnuclear energy
research, demonstration. and
development (commercialization)
programs.

n. Summary of Major fmdlngs

A. Water Requirements

Synfuels development will increase
the annual consumptive water use in the
Upper Colorado Region by about 150,000
acre-feet per year for each million
barrels (oil equivalent) per day of
production.

B. Wpter Supply Availability

The Region'. total water resources
wlll be able to support nearly 3 mlllion
barrels of oil equivalent synfuels
production per day.
Synthetic fuels development in some
development areas will be limited
unless additional water supply
measures (Le.. reservoirs, water imports,
groundwaler)are developed. The White
River area in Colorado and Utah with
large oil shale reserves is of particular
concern.
Provisions of the Compact among the
Upper Basin Slates. which allocates
water supplies among the States, may
ultimately constrain synfuels
de\'elopment. Specifically, conversion oC
coal mined from the Four Comers area
in New Mexico and both coal and oil
shale conversion in Colorado. may
ultimately be limited by these
constraints.

r

C. lVater Quality Effects

Wastewalers from synthelic fuels
denlopmentwill be minimal. These will