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<br />OOOSJE <br /> <br />In response to our draft teport, Bureau officials from <br />the Lower Basin stated that in an effort to salvage additional <br />water, the Rureau has entered into a contract with Arizona <br />State University to perforn research on replacing existing <br />vegetation--rnainly salt cedar--0rowing along the river with <br />vegetation that would improve the environMent for the wild- <br />life while consuning significantly less water. <br /> <br />Conservation measures could reduce <br />t h~Mpa c t::_~t.Job~ ho r tag e <br /> <br />Conservation practices have not reached their full <br />potential in the Colorado River Basin. Conservation efforts <br />in the basin have been related prinarily to irrigation, <br />involving onfarn inprovenents, reducing losses in the water <br />delivery systen, and controlling the aMount of water used <br />on crops. These efforts nay delay the water shortage. <br />Rureau and State officials stated, hm./ever, that conserva- <br />tion along the nain sten of the Colorado River will have <br />little inpact on conserving the water supply. <br /> <br />Water conservation nay reduce the anount of water <br />conSUMed by nonagricultural venetation, flowing into deep <br />underground aquifers fron which pumping nay be econonically <br />inpracticable, or evaporating into the atMosphere. EPA <br />officials (in a recent report) pointed out that a strong <br />l,asinwide conset'vation proqran nay be the nost cost-effective <br />nethod of dealing with salinity. <br /> <br />In t"esponse to past t'econmendations of (;1\0 1/ and others, <br />the Bureau is investigatinq ways to nake irrigatIon narc <br />f2fficient. Opposition exists, howevpr, to SOl1e conservation <br />neasuees because of theit" costs and the lack of incentives <br />to conserve. In addition. several offi"ials fro[~ thR Federal <br />Gov'-,rnnent and basin States believe that there are fe'" <br />OPPol..tuni ties to cons(~rve water in the basin. This is beCRllse <br />CjP-nerally water conserviltion is successful. olIly in areas <br />~..;hicll are off the ColorFlc1o's nClinstrean and there are few <br />such areas in the basin. On the 11ainstrean, they contp.nd <br />tllp. rIiljori ty of vater wasted by ineff iciency returns to the <br />river for reuse. <br /> <br />l/"Retter ""det.al Coonliniltion necrled to Prollote More Efficient <br />- Fan1 It'riqiltion," HF.:D-76-116, .111n" 22, 1976. "More and <br />:;ettet' Uses Coule, He "1ilde of Rill ions of Gallons of ;-Iater <br />by II:1[lrovinq lrriqation Delivery Systens," Cr~O-77-177, <br />septeMber 2. 1977. <br /> <br />20 <br />