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Salinity Control in the Big Sandy Unit o ~ -.:.E rv Mr. Gary Zakotnik provided testimony in behalf ofthe Eden Valley Irrigation & Drainage District., Mr. Zakotnik contended that as USDA has ,proceeded with its Big Sandy "Project," that from 1989 until 1997 there has been an increase in tons of salt coming from the project. He quoted from the Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Big Sandy Rock Sills Project dated March 1999 and prepared by Reclamation. It appears that Mr. Zakotnik has confused the USDA "project" with other projects. He correctly points out that the EA states that salinity contributions have increased since the construction of the project, however the EA does not refer to the salinity control project. The project referred to in the EA is the long-ago constructed Eden Project built by Reclamation. The EA was prepared to evaluate and disclose the environmental consequences of expanding a cooperative agreement with Trout Unlimited that provides for work to enhance 41 miles of stream channel. The EA states that salinity had increased as a result of the construction of the Big Sandy Reservoir and associated irrigation. Studies have documented that salt control is occurring in the USDA project as planned. The following is a table that summarizes the results of the onfarm program as reported by USDA in Monitoring and Evaluation reports that have been prepared each year since the beginning of the USDA salinity control effort. Big Sandy Unit of the USDA Colorado River Salinity Control Program (now EQIP) Data as Reported In the Natural Resources Conservation Service's Monitoring and Evaluation Reports for the Big Sandy Unit of the Colorado River Salinity Control Program Federal Cumulative Systems - Cumulative Reduction in Cumulative Fiscal Number and Acreage Deep Percolation Salt Load Reduction iB: Acre-feet Dar year Tons oer year 1998 105 and 8,327 11,791 30,657 1997 101 and 7,983 11.496 29,890 1996 81 and 6904 9,790 25.454 1995 79 and 6682 9,477 24,641 1994 72 and 5896 8,582 22,313 1993 60 and 4993 7,222 18,774 1992 38 and 3,263 4,831 12,557 1991 25 and 2,162 3,246 8,440 1990 12 and 1,175 1,896 4,931 The table shows that from the beginning of the USDA salinity control project at Big Sandy through the 1998 fiscal year, 105 systems have been improved. These systems irrigate 8,327 acres. From the total effort through 1998, there has been a reduction ofll,791 acre-feet of deep percolation per year. That has resulted in a total reduction of 30,657 tons of salt loading from the Big Sandy area per year. Mr. Zakotnik's letter also addressed the fact that the Big Sandy Project is not an integrated project with both Reclamation and USDA components and that the 1999 Review report (at page 4-3) noted that the two programs have purposely been designed to be highly integrated. The Forum notes 8