"The objective of the BX In Situ Oil Shale Project is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of using superheated steam as a heat-carrying medium to retort in situ the oil shale in the Green River Formation ""leached"" zone and provide a mechanism for the recovery of this shale oil with a minimum impact on the environment. Utilizing primarily the natural porosity in the leached zone, approximately one trillion BTU of heat will be injected into site over a 2-year period to heat to retorting temperature a shale zone approximately 550 feet thick and covering about one acre. The field Project is located at Equity's BX In Situ site in Rio Blanco County in northwestern Colorado. Environmental activities conducted from March 1, 1979 through February 29, 1980, were a continuation of baseline monitoring begun in the previous year. This included meteorology, water quality, and aquatic ecology monitoring. with the beginning of project operation in September, the frequency of water quality sampling was increased to assure adequate operational monitoring."