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<br />w <br />CJ1 <br />o <br />c.;, <br /> <br />Construction was essentially completed in 1983. Most of the <br />pumping (140,000 acre-feet) will be delivered to Mexico <br />across the land boundary at San Luis to satisfy the 1944 <br />treaty. <br /> <br />In March 1985, Reclamation awarded the last of three major <br />contracts for the construction of the Yuma Desalting Plant at <br />Yuma, Arizona. The $35 million contract was awarded to <br />complete the desalting plant pretreatment facilities and to <br />construct equipment and office buildings. The contractor will <br />have 3-l/2 years to complete the work. Pretreatment start-up <br />is planned for mid-1987, and the desalting plant is scheduled <br />for completion in late 1989 or 1990. <br /> <br />USDA's involvement relates specifically to onfarm treatments <br />and water management improvements in the WMIDD (Well ton-Mohawk <br />Irrigation and Drainage District) in Yuma, Arizona. Any <br />reduction of drainage return flows would reduce the demands <br />and costs of operating the desalting plant. By improving <br />irrigation efficiencies, a reduction of deep percolation <br />into ground water reduces the amount of drainage return <br />flows leaving the 65,000 acre WMIDD. <br /> <br />The Wellton-Mohawk onfarm Federal cost-sharing program is <br />fully funded by Reclamation. Under authority of a BR-SCS <br />Title I Memorandum of Agreement (December 1974), Reclamation <br />reimburses SCS for cost-sharing and technical assistance <br />provided to individual participants through long-term <br />contracts. The initial program for 23,800 acres was <br />expanded during the annual renewal of the agreement in 1984 <br />to 48,000 acres. <br /> <br />This last renewal provided that all SCS contracting would be <br />completed by September 30, 1985, and that all water manage- <br />ment and salinity control land treatment practices would be <br />installed by December 31, 1985. <br /> <br />In 1985, 55 contracts were developed and signed covering <br />4,5lt acres. Practices applied included 31 miles of ditch <br />lining, 4,822 acres of laser land leveling, and 787 struc- <br />tures. for water control and meaSurement. <br /> <br />The SCS is designing and assisting farmers to install irri- <br />gation systems to reduce irrigation return flow. As of <br />September 1985, 376 contracts have been developed for <br />assistance on 48,588 acres. Treatment will exceed the <br />48,000 acre project goal. Since implementation of the <br />Colorado River salinity program began in 1975, the irriga- <br />tionreturn flows have been reduced about half or approxi- <br />mately 100,000 acre-feet. <br /> <br />32 <br />