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Show L.Y. SSddowcay yells Congress Bsisiri mineral deifelopmenfls By Helene C. Monberg, Vernal Express Washington Correspondent (Special to the Vernal Express) Washington While great mining districts like the Coeur d'Alene in Idaho and Leadville in Colorado are reeling over the impact of major cutbacks, the Uintah Basin in Eastern Utah is humming humm-ing with new developments, L. Y. Sid-doway Sid-doway of the Uintah Water Conservancy Conservan-cy District of Vernal, told the Senate and House Public Works Appropriations Appropria-tions Subcommittee this past week. Hence, he reminded both Subcommittees Subcommit-tees in testimony presented the week of March 29, water developments in the Uintah Basin area are vitally important to the continued mineral development. "The Uintah Basin, with its trade center located at Vernal, probably has more natural resources than any other area in the United States," and many mineral developments are occurring in the Uintah Basin, Siddoway stated. "The Vernal-Ashley Valley population in 1980 was 16,251," and it is expected nearly to double by 1985 and to increase by 250 percent by 1990, when the State Planning Coordinator's Office expects it to hit 38,175, he testified. "Water is the key to all planning and all developments in the Uintah Basin as well as to the State of Utah. We have an average of eight inches of precipitation yearly in the Uintah Basin. This water runs off from our watershed in 60 days, and without storage reservoirs to catch this runoff, we have a drought every year," he stated. So he urged continued con-tinued funding for the Jensen unit at $6.2-19,000 and the Upalco Unit at $1 million and $500,000 in advance planning plann-ing money for the Uintah Unit, all in the Central Utah project. Siddow ay is one veteran of the battle for the authorization of the Upper Colorado Col-orado project in 1956 who has seen his work pay off. With water development in the Uintah Basin of the Upper Colorado Col-orado watershed well underway, mineral developments are following. Here is the current status of these mineral developments, he told Congress. Con-gress. "The Deseret Generation and Transmission Cooperative has started the construction of a 400 megawatt power plant located 35 miles south of Vernal. Access to it is from Vernal.-Besides Vernal.-Besides the power plant, new roads are being constructed and a new bridge is being built to cross the Green River. Coal will be delivered from nearby Rangely, Colo., by a newly constructed electric railroad. The labor force at the power plant reached a peak of 545 workers in November. Construction workers at the site will increase this spring up to between 700-800 workers. "Water for the power plant is being supplied with a 19-mile, 30-inch pipeline pumping w ater from the Green River to the plant site. A second 400 megawatt unit is scheduled for construction starting star-ting as soon as the first unit is complete," com-plete," Siddoway said. On the oil shale front, White River Shale announced about March 22 it will start construction of a plant site, road construction and other work to start developing two large oil shale .tracts in the Uintah Basin, where it will spend $100 million in 1982-83, Siddoway testified. "Several other oil shale developers are in the same area, including in-cluding Paraho, Syntana, Magic Circle. Texaco, Exxon. Tosco. Ramex and Geokinetics. Geokinetics is producing 100 barrels of oil a day from a modular plant at the present time," he said. On the phosphate front, there is also a new development, Siddoway told Congress. Con-gress. He said that Chevron Resources recently purchased one of the largest phosphate deposits in this country which is located about 15 miles north of Vernal. Chevron took over the mine and plant from Stauffer Chemical Company, and it plans to "upgrade the production with new installations that will increase output out-put from 450,000 tons a year to 750,000 tons of phosphate a year. Chevron has budgeted over $13 million for this work during 1982," he said. In addition to coal, oil shale and phosphate developments, Siddoway pointed out the Uintah Basin has several major producing oil and gas fields, tar sands, and gilsonite deposits, where other developments are expected ex-pected in the years immediately ahead, particularly in tar sands. Not to mention timber and water, grazing and farming. Storage water makes the mineral developments possible in addition to assuring storage water for agriculture and municipal use, Siddoway noted. The Vernal unit of the Central Utah project pro-ject has been completed and in operation opera-tion for 20 years," of great service to people in the Vernal and Ashley Valley area." "Now the Jensen Unit of Central Utah is nearing completion, with irrigation water delivered from it during the past two years. The entire project will be completed and in operation about 1984, Siddoway stated. At that time the Jensen Unit will be able to deliver "a high quality municipal water supply" to Vernal. "Unfortunately, we are still a couple of years away from supplying this municipal water to Vernal City and Ashley Valley and Ashley Valley." Siddoway Sid-doway s testimony concluded. |