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..,:-:nO 1J~,.:' Bids for constructing Crystal Dam on the Gunnison River near Montrose, Colorado, were rejected during 1971 because of exces- sive costs. Originally designed as an earthfill dam, the Bureau of Reclamation now plans to construct a concrete arch dam which will have less adverse impact on the environment. Construction of a diversion tunnel around the damsite was started in 1971, but construc- tion of the dam will not commence until 1973. This dam will be the third and final feature of the Curecanti Storage Unit and will enable Morrow Point Powerplant to be operated more efficiently. A contract was awarded in 1971 for con- struction of a 15-mile long section of the Jor- dan Aqueduct, a feature of the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project, During 1971, construction commenced on the Jim Bridger coal-fired powerplant locat- ed near Rock Springs, Wyoming, a joint ven- ture by Idaho Power Company and Pacific Power and Light Company. The Project will \Ig@ approximately 3Q,llOQ aere f-eet of water per year from the Green River for cooling purposes. A draft environmental impact statement on the project was released in Sep- tember 1971 by the U. S. Bureau of Land Management. The report stated that blow- down water from the cooling system will not be returned to the river. It also estimated that the removal of 30,000 acre-feet of water per year would increase the salinity concentra- t!on below Hoover Dam by 1.4 parts per mil- lion (ppm), from 700 parts per million to 701.4 ppm. The Board's staff reviewed a State of Wyoming report entitled, "Water and Relat- ed Land Resources of the Green River Basin , Wyoming", which is the first of a series of reports to be made on water needs and re- sources in various river basins of Wyoming for the purpose of developing a State Water Plan, Several alternative plans of water re- source development are presented which re- quire the construction of one or more of three proposed reservoirs identified as the Kendall, New Fork Narrows, and Lower Green Reservoirs. The report points out that 42 if reservoirs are not constructed, water devel- opment will be restricted and Wyoming will likely forfeit from 177,000 to 345,000 acre feet per year of water entitled to the state. Of the various plans of development, the plan with the most adverse effect on water quality would increase the total dissolved solids of the Green River at Green River, Wyoming, from the present level of 320 ppm to 390 ppm without salt pick up, and to 480 ppm if salt pickup would occur. Lower Basin Developments Central Arizona Project. During 1971 construction work on the Central Arizona Project (CAP), authorized in 1968, still had not been commenced. The delays have been caused by funding problems and water con- tract negotiating delays. On November 22, 1971, the U, S, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released $2,7 million in funds for the Central Arizona Project, Of that amount, $] 2 million came from a prior year congressional appropriation which had been held in reserve by OMB. The funds will be used to complete an environmental impact statement, to obtain construction bids for the project, to complete work on determination of Indian water allocations, and to negotiate a repayment contract with the State of Ari- zona, The release of funds was significant be- cause it permits calling for bids on the project. Prior to that date, OMB had released slightly over $44 million for CAP as the fed- eral government's 24,3 percent share of con- struction costs for the Navajo Powerplant. This plant will supply power to pump CAP water from the Colorado River to Central Arizona. The Board received a copy ofthe Bureau of Reclamation's September 1971 "Draft of En- vironmental Statement for the Central Ari- zona Project, Arizona-New Mexico", The Board had only minor editorial comments which were coordinated through California's Resources Agency. Southern Nevada Water Project. The