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<br />Salinity Control Opportunities <br /> <br />McElmo Creek Unit <br /> <br />N <br />01 <br />;- <br />c." <br /> <br />The Mcl!llmo Creek basin is located in southwestern Colorado and covers <br />approxinlately 720 square miles, About 150 square miles of the basin, <br />mostly in the east, are agricultural land. Early studies show that salt <br />loading results from both irrigation and diffuse sources, with irrigation <br />being th~ main contributor, <br /> <br />The Mc~mo Creek Unit was authorized for construction by P.L. 98-596 in <br />October 1984 as part of the Dolores Project, a participating project of the <br />Colorado River Storage Project which is under construction. Included are <br />seepage qontrol from the Towaoc-Highline Canal, Rocky Ford laterals, Lone <br />Pine latetal, and the Upper Hermana lateral. Most of the project facilities <br />have been constructed. <br /> <br />ImplemeJ)tation of the USDA program has been underway in this area since <br />1990, The major salinity reduction practices being installed are side-roll <br />sprinklerisystems, underground pipelines, and gated pipe, A fully <br />coordina~d implementation effort is underway, so design and installation of <br />the laterals by Reclamation complement the onfann irrigation systems, <br />Joint plal!.ning actions with Reclamation have made it possible to install <br />gravity ptessure sprinkler systems on an additional 9,000 acres. <br /> <br />Nonpoint Source Control <br /> <br />Management of nonpoint sources to control salt loading from rangelands has <br />been inve$tigated through State and Federal cooperative efforts in Utah and <br />Colorado. . The Utah study was completed in 1991; and in Colorado, results <br />of the stu4ly were released in 1992, In both States, all watersheds draining <br />into the C.olorado River Basin were studied to estimate contributions of salt <br />from non~oint sources and to detennine the potential for treatment, The <br />watershe4s with the highest priority for treatment have been identified in <br />each State. <br /> <br />Paradox Valley Unit <br /> <br />The Parad'ox Valley Unit was authorized for investigation and construction <br />by the Acfof 1974, P,L. 93-320. The unit is located in southwestern <br />Colorado along the Dolores River in the Paradox Valley, formed by a <br />collapsed ~alt dome, Ground water in the valley comes into contact with the <br />top of the $alt fonnation where it becomes nearly saturated witp. sodium <br />chloride, $alinities have been measured in excess of 250,000 mg/L, by far <br />the most c(lncentrated source of salt in the Colorado River Basin, Ground <br />water then surfaces in the Dolores River, Studies conducted by Reclamation <br />show the river picks up more than 205,000 tons of salt annually as it passes <br />through the Paradox Valley, <br /> <br /> <br />8-7 <br /> <br />