| Description |
About 93 percent of the Nation's estimated 30 billion barrels of crude oil in tar-sand deposits is in 11 areas in eastern Utah that were chosen for leasing by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The largest deposit, which is in the Tar Sand Triangle area, contains about 15 billion barrels of oil. This area and the Sunnyside and P R Spring areas contain more than three-fourths of the Utah reserves. About 88,000 acre-feet per year of water would be required for a commercial tar-sand industry producing about 365,000 barrels per day; at this rate, most of the recoverable oil would be mined within 30 years. About 22,000 acre-feet of water per year would be required for a commercial tar-sand industry producing about 83,000 barrels per day and about 5,500 acre-feet of water per year would be required for a pilot-size industry producing about 22,000 barrels per day. Impacts on local hydrology would be greatest in the Tar Sand Triangle, Sunnyside, and P R Spring areas. These impacts could be minimized, however, with proper construction of surface facilities to reduce erosion and sediment transport and to impound mining and retort waters. A commercial tar-sand industry producing 365,000 barrels per day could result in an average salinity increase of about 3 milligrams per liter with a peak of about 9 milligrams per liter in the Colorado River at Imperial Dam, Ariz.-Calif., whereas a commercial tar-sand industry producing 83,000 barrels per day could increase the average salinity by less than 1 milligram per liter with a peak of 2 milligrams per liter. |
