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<br />croplands resulting from relatively inefficient on-farm water <br />~ management practices. <br />o <br />~ Canal and lateral seepage oan be greatly reduoed by lining <br />~ the delivery system. The Grand Valley Salin~ty Control Demon- <br />stration Project was ~nitiated in 1968 to study the effectiveness <br />of linings as a salinity oontrol measure. Sinoe then, addi- ' <br />tional studies have been conduoted on field drainage and <br />soientific irrigation soheduling as viable salinity reduotion <br />technologies. ' <br /> <br />This demonstration projeot was established to show the <br />advantage of implementing a "package" of technological improve- <br />ments in reducing the quantity of highly saline subsurfaoe <br />return flows reaching the Colorado River. The most significant <br />improvements in controlling irrigation return flow quality <br />potentially comes from improved on-the-farm water management. <br />This includes farm head ditoh linings, water measurement, irri- <br />gation scheduling, conversion to sprinkler or trickle irrigation, <br />gated pipe, cut-back furrow irrigation, field drainage, and <br />other types of on-farm water management improvements. This con- <br />cept of utilizing a package of appropriate technologies was <br />undertaken because many of these technologies complement each <br />other, and the net benefits would be expeoted to be greater than <br />the sum of the individual improvements. Also, results from the <br />concurrent EPA project "Irrigation Praotioes, Return Flow <br />Salinity, and Crop Yields," were utilhed in predicting the <br />chemical quality changes in irrigation return flows to the <br />Colorado River as a consequence of, the demonstration project. <br /> <br />The results of both projects were used in the development <br />of economically feasible guidelines for controlling the salinity <br />from irrigation return flows. In addition, these studies should <br />be of assistance to the national need in developing mineraI <br />pollution control methods fOr federal and private irrigation <br />projects. Results can also be used as a basis for salinity con- <br />trol recommendations to be inoorporated in water resources proj- <br />ect evaluation reports and in programs to reduce water <br />degradation from irrigation return flows. <br /> <br />PURPOSE <br /> <br />The costs of salinity control to compensate for future <br />water resource developments in a region like the Colorado River <br />Basin will be high. Savings achieved through the implementation <br />of the most cost-effective alternatives can, therefore, be sub- <br />stantial. This project was designed to develop and demonstrate <br />cost-effectiveness relationships for salinity control in the <br />Grand Valley of western Colorado. <br /> <br />Economically feasible means of controlling salinity <br />associated with irrigation return flows had been evaluated <br /> <br />4 <br />