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<br /> <br />,,~ <br />VJ <br />:D <br /> <br />u <br /> <br /> <br />Colorado River Basin SalmJf\1 ContrOl Pro ram <br /> <br />Reclamation's salinity comrol evaluation committee. The project will reduce salinity in the <br />Colorado River by about ~.300 tons of salt per year. The Salinity Control Program has contributed <br />5890.000. The NIWQP has contributed 5730.000. If salinit)' comrol can be shown 10 effectively <br />control selenium. more joint projects may be pursued between [he tWO programs. <br /> <br />Environmental compliance for this project was completed in 1995 as pan of Reclamation's Lower <br />Gunnison Basin Unit. Environmental Assessment/Finding of:"1o Significant Impact. The UVWUA <br />Will replace approximately 7 5 miles of ex.istlng unlined eanhen irrigation laterals \l.'ilh buried pipe <br />in the Uncompahgre Project's South Canal system Construction of this ponion of the project will <br />be completed in 1999. <br /> <br />CSDA- The USDA salimi)" control plan for the Lower Gunnison Basin was prepared in 1981. The <br />envirorunental impact statement was published in 1482. The USDA plan calls for treatment of <br />approximately 135,000 acres of irrigated land and improvements of off-fann laterals. <br /> <br />Implementation was initiated in 1988 by largeting funds into the Tongue Creek subarea in Delta <br />County. Since that lime, funding has been allocaled to the OIher subareas, and Implementation is <br />n(lW underway in all of Ihe Lower Gunnison Basin Unit. The major practices bemg installed are <br />underground pipelines. ditch lining. land leveling, Irrigation water control structures. sprinkler <br />")~tems, gated pipe, and surge migation sy~tems. <br /> <br />Lower Gunnison Basin Unit, North Fork Area <br /> <br />The Lower Gunnison Basm Unit. ;.Jonh Fork stud)' area, is localed in Delta and Ouray Counties of <br />west-central Colorado. It included Irrigated areas on the ;.Jonh Fork of the Gunnison Ri\'er. along <br />the Uncompahgre Ri\'er south of Colona, Colorado, and nonh and east of the city of Della along <br />the Gunnison River. (That ponion of the Lower Gunmson Basin Unit served by the Uncompahgre <br />Project has been invesligated in a separate study.) <br /> <br />Reclamation studied off-fann saIL nil)' contributions from saline springs and seepage from unlined <br />canals and laterals, Areas north of Delta and southeast of HOIchkiss comribute large amounts of <br />sollt. The IOlal off-fann salt contnbution from Ihe :-.lonh Fork area was estimated to be <br />appro.'\lmately 1~8.000 tons per year. <br /> <br />Emphasis was placed on Identifying and quantifying off-fann sources of salinilY and fonnulating <br />alternative solutions to diminish the salt loading to the ri\'er system_ Preliminary findings indicated <br />that selectl\'e lining oi canals and laterals and winter water replacement might be viable, however. <br />J. more d.etailed srudy showed the cost of these impro\'emems prohibitive. <br /> <br />51 <br /> <br />- <br />