Abstract

The Uinta Basin contains a vast energy resource reserve in the form of shale oil. Obtaining and producing this resource requires large quantites of water. The Green River and White River are the best sources of that water.

Diversions from these river systems by means of alluvial well fields are being incorporated into existing energy systems. Placing wells into the alluvial gravels of larger rivers can, if properly engineered, provide much of the required water quantities. The depositional environment and alluvial gravel lithology make the Green River more favorable for that usage. Alluvial well systems can be small or massive, with large gallery pumping networks extending below the river bottoms fulfilling high flow demands. Construction of direct diversion structures on the outside of meander bends on river sections which are geomorphically stable can provide consistent flows through intake structures which allow settlement of the majority of suspended sediments. The diverted water can flow across a modified spillway into a pumping gallery then along a pipeline corridor to the point of use. The ultimate usage in the Basin’s oil shale territory would be the construction of the White River Dam near Southam Canyon. This 136-foot high 2,500-foot long earth dam would hold nearly 110,000 acre-feet of water and could incorporate pumping systems to the various production sites. The installation of a hydro power plant below the dam could develop electrical power to meet future electrical needs in the Basin.