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. W A :0 W . . CHAPTER III RESOURCES Opportunities for Use of Saline Water Opportunities for industrial uses of the Glenwaod-Dotsero sprinj.!; flows are continually being investigated. Reclamation would work closely with any investor willing to pay the additional costs required to accom- modate that use and would incorporate as much flexibility as possible in any plan developed to allow for future use of saline water if such oppor- Cunltles arise, Many opportunities were investigated at different levels of detail. and many potential users were contacted. Opportunltie~ considered in- cluded use of the water as a coolant for 011 shale retortin~ operations or as moisture for compacting spent shale, as a source of water for hy- draulic and solution mining, as a transport medium for coal or shale, as cooling water for a thermal electric powerplant, and as a means of heat for buildings and highway structures. Evaporation ponds (discussed in Chapter IV) have been studied to determine their potential for pro- ducing algae for food and fuel, for producing enerRY (as solar gradient ponds), for enhancing fish and wildlife habitat, and for recreation. The richest and best known oil shale deposits in the world are lo- cated in northwestern Colorado and are estimated to contain the equiva- lent of 1.2 trillion barrels of oil, A leading area of deposits lie!'; immediately northwest of the Colorado River bet....een Rifle and DeBeque. Saline water from the Glenwood-Dotsero springs could be used as a coolant in retorting operations or as a source of moisture for compactin~ spent shale. The nearest site for this use is about 35 mi Ie'! northwest of Glenwood Springa. Three of eight major coal-producing fields in west-central Colo- rado lie wholly or partially in Mesa County. Coal is also produced in Garfield County. A potential use of the saline spring flows is for hydraulic coal mining, although the amount of water needed for this pur- pose is small. Reclamation has made a separate appraisal investiRation of the po- tential use of the Glenwood-Dotsero Springs Unit water in a large volume coal slurry pipeline. This study is summarized in a special report, Saline Water Use and Disposal Opportunities, Bureau of Reclamation, Sep- tember 1981. The proposed pipeline would transport 100 million tons of coal per year more than 600 mileo; to the west coast. It would use the saline water from four contributing sources in the Upper Colorado Basin, including the Glenwood-Dotsero springs. l~