Reader comments
Oil shale industry could drain Uintah area water

Oil Shale and Nuclear | 8:26 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008

With the water demands on the Green River for both proposed oil shale and nuclear power, we can say bye bye to agriculture!

Robin | 9:58 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Shale Oil should be considered the same as corn oil. Due to the prophits of oil the cost of bread went up as did the oil to make the corn, which increased the level of pesticides going into the water flow. An eco disaster not to mention the financial cost to the poor. Who wins in the short term and what is won? Who will loose is the enviorment, the colorado and green river will be sucked dry by a pipe line from Lake Powell to LA. all the while Nevada is slant drilling beneath Utah. Wind and solar don't consume.

RBW | 1:21 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

The water issues are a real concern. And three barrels of water for one of oil is still a lot of water BUT, the all-is-lost comments and news are way off-base. I have been reluctant to hammer the topic because my company is part of the solution. That said, our technology has been operating in industry for 12 years treating much worse water and well over a year in the oil and gas markets, processing some 130,000 gallons a day of natural gas flowback water (nasty stuff) and making distilled water (with just one process unit and we are grouping multiple units or can build larger fixed units). The reality is that water does not have to be the problem with oil shale, natural gas, etc. Industry builds zero-discharge, water recycling plants (we have Toyota, Ford, International Paper, Caterpiller and more as customers at large scale installations).
The water conservation concern is valid... the hands in the air surrender that there is no affordable, competent solution is just wrong.

Comments continue below

C.W. | 3:14 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

I can't speak for ALL the Uintah basin residents, but I for one, would much rather have a good job from an oil co. than have to eak out a living farming on ground that isn't the best in the world and that has a super-short growing season! most of the farmers in the Basin work their hands to the bone farming, but never quite make it due to the poor soil and short growing conditions.

Woody | 8:07 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

What about reclaimed water from sewage? Can that be used? I don't know but would think it is possible.

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