Shortage of water dims prospects for oil shale
Associated Press
Published June 6, 2006 at midnight
GLENWOOD SPRINGS - Oil shale development could run into the same problem population growth in Colorado has faced: a shortage of water.
Chris Treese, external affairs director for the Colorado River Water Conservation District, says potential oil shale developers should meet immediately with local and regional water authorities to address water-related issues.
He said new water storage facilities can take 20 years to build and cost more than local and even state governments can afford.
"We don't have much storage room in the reservoirs we have now," Treese said.
"And we didn't build any new projects during the last boom, either."
Russell George, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, said no one knows how much more water will be needed.
But George said there is no doubt existing storage capacity isn't enough.
The Front Range continues to grow and demand more water.
Denver Water, the state's biggest utility, is focusing its efforts on encouraging customers to use less. It has drafted a plan to cut water use by 22 percent over the next decade.
Treese said that even if extraction technologies can be improved dramatically, 25,000 acre-feet of water would be needed to support an oil shale industry of 500,000 barrels per day.
An additional storage capacity of 50,000 to 80,000 acre-feet would be required.
Treese said new water supplies for municipal use also will be needed.
A family of four requires a half-acre-foot of water per year.
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