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MONITORING AND EVALUATION PROGRAM 1995 ANNUAL REPORT l\) t..) .,J 00 INTRODUCTION Overview This annual status report presents the results of the 1995 monitoring and evaluation activities in various disciplines. Annual reports have been prepared and presented since 1985. These annual reports provide information on databases collected since the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Program began in 1984.' This program was implemented under the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-320) and as amended by P.L. 98-569. The Act was established to enhance and protect quality of water in the Colorado River through salinity control. The 'U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Grand Valley Salinity Program (GVSP) began in 1979 under ongoing USDA programs. ACP funds were provided for implementation and administered by the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation service (ASCS). In 1987, the USDA Colorado River Salinity Control (CRSC) Program as authorized by P.L. 98- 569 was implemented. In 1995, Congress reorganized USDA. SCS was renamed the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and NRCS assumed adminisratation of the program from ASCS. The monitoring program was designed to evaluate the impact of salinity practices related to the USDA Salinity Control Programs in the Grand Valley Project Area (Figure 1). The effects of irrigation practices on salt load reduction, economics, wildlife habitat and soil salinity levels have been evaluated annually on selected fields as outlined in the 1983 USDA Monitoring and Evaluation Plan. Monitoring will be continued for several years to determine the long-term impacts of improved salinity practices. The 1983 USDA Monitoring and Evaluation Plan has been replaced with the "Framework Plan for Monitoring and Evaluating the Colorado River Salinity Control Program" published on June 23, 1991. This document and the 1995 Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for the Grand Valley outlines the scope, methodology, and report format to be followed by all salinity project offices. In the Grand Valley project area, this framework plan will be followed without disrupting current program format which has been implemented for more than eleven years. Project Location The Grand Valley Project Area is located along the Colorado River in West Mesa County in West Central Colorado (Figure 1) near the Colorado- Utah state line. The Grand Valley is underlain by Mancos shale formation, and covers about 126,000 acres. Of the 66,000 irrigated acres, 57,000 acres are covered in the CRSC program. Irrigation water is obtained mostly from the Colorado River, and is delivered to the fields through Federal and private canal systems comprising more than 200 miles of canals and over 500 miles of laterals. 1