WSP09790 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

SUMMARY SHEET Paradox Valley Unit Colorado River Rasin Salinity Control Project March 1980 page'l of 2 48-155 0.1-1.1 BRINE WELL FlELO AREA H. 20- 300 t Length (miles) 20.5 5 5.26 Radium Radium ~ Dike 87 56 8,300 7,500 LOCATION . The Paradox Valley Unit is located in Montrose and San Nigul:!l Counties of southwestern Colo- rado in the Upper Colorado River Basin. PURPOSE The unit is designed to reduce the introduction of salt into the Colorado River through one of its major tributaries, the Dolores River. A wildlife area to mitigate losses of wildlife would be developed. Also included is a cul- tural resource program to collect and preserve archaeological information. ~ The Paradox Valley Unit was authorized for con- struction by the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of June 24J 1974 (Public Law 93-320) . A Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the unit was filed in May 197B. A public hearing on the draft statement was held in June 1978 and the Final Environmental Impact Statement was filed with EPA on March 20, 1979. The Definite Plan Report was approved January 24, 1979. The FY80 appropriations include $3,163,000 to continue construction. !Y>!i . The unit would be designed to reduce the salinity of the Dolnres and COlorado Rivers STATISTICS PROJECT FEATURES Depth ~ (feet) Capacity (ds) Wells Brine production wells 18 Ground water monitoring wells 68 "Brine pipeline Brine pipt!l1ne pumping plartts 8. . Dams (feet) Heieht above streambed Crest length Evaporation Pond Capacity (acre-feet) Flood control Inactive Dead Total Surchar&e Maximum water surface area (acres) 3,750 18,700 62,060 6,040 86,800 6,540 by pumping brine" ground water from a well field located along the Dolores River in Paradox Valley and thus preventing it from surfacing in the riverbed. A test woll field has already been installed as part of a design data collec- tion program, and other facilities required for brine treatment and disposal would be added during unit construction. The brine would be piped from the well field to a nearby hydrogen sulfide stripping plant, where potentially toxic. and corrosive gas would be con- verted into sulfur. An operational headquarters would be constructed at the site of the strip- ping plant. The treated brine and sulfur would be piped from the stripping plant "to the pro- posed Radium Evaporation Pond or deep well in- jection site for disposal. The pond pond would be located in Dry Creek Basin to the southeast of the well field, and eight pumping plants would be needed on the pipeline to lift the brine over the divide between Paradox Valley and the basin. The deep well injection alter- native is being stud5.ed and well locations will be determined i~ the future. To reduce adverse impacts on wildlife, a wild- life area would be developed near the evapora- tion pond and other areas temporarily disturbed by construction would be seeded with plant species valuable as wildlife habitat. Since the wildlife area was not included in the unit plan when it was authorized, the approval of the appropriate O:mgressional committees would be required. Also included as part of tl~ unit would be a cultural resource program to test two sites located 'il'ithin the proposed evapora- t ion pond. This plan and the following statistics are based on a required pumping rate of 5 cfs. It is anticipated that further investigati.on will indicate that a lower pumping rate could be. used. COUNTY 1 - -cou~ \. . . ~;y'Zjl. ~<il'" RADIUM EVAPONATION ~ Pompln. Pion' POND ....Pl.. lln. 15