Aggregate water resources for large-scale energy development in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Abstract

This paper addresses the question of whether or not a large (significant in national terms) energy recovery industry can be developed in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), alongside more traditional water use, without causing a problem in the aggregate quantity of water supplied to the Lower Colorado River Basin. On the demand side, aggregate water consumption in the UCRB due to water-intensive energy industry is predicted as a function of the level of energy production. Total UCRB water consumption can then be found by adding to the energy-related water use all nonenergy-related consumption. On the supply side, aggregate water availability is determined from the results of a steady-state, stochastic hydrologic model which predicts the reliability of flow to the lower basin as a function of total UCRB consumption. Demand and supply are then presented together in a graphical form which allows the reader to determine for himself the allowable level of energy development in the UCRB, depending on the levels he chooses for nonenergy-related water consumption in the upper basin and the reliability of water supply to the lower basin. As part of this project, reasonable estimates had to be determined for the unit water requirements of the various types of energy development industries. This was accomplished by means of a very extensive and careful survey of the open literature. Results of the survey for synthetic fuel processes were condensed and arranged into a series of novel, easy-to-follow information flow charts. These charts are a valuable aid in comparing unit-water-consumption values and determining their origins.