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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 3657 wildlife mitigation plan. The onfarm program will impact 3,800 acres of wetlands, and full mitigation of these lands would require upgrading 8,900 acres of Netlands elsewhere at a cost of $17,600,000. This amounts to over 10 percent of the total project cost. The final report on the onfarm program for the Lower Gunnison Basin unit shows that the operation, maintenance, and replacement costs would go from $20,000 to $800,000 per year after proiect implementation. ~his is a sizeable increase and may be prohibitive to the farmer if some of. the projected benfits do not materialize. McElmo Creek Unit The McElmo Creek Unit is located in Montezuma County and covers approximately 720 square miles. The study area includes the entire McElmo Creek drainage basin from the headwaters above Cortez to its confluence with the San Juan River (see figure 4). There are approximately 31,000 acres of irrigated land within the unit and is served primarily by the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company. This area contributes approximately 115,000 tons of salt annually to the San Juan River, and it primarily comes from the percolation of irrigation water through the saline soils. Off-Farm Program The Bureau of Reclamation has not finished the feasibility study, but they have outlined a preferred plan in a status report. The plan involves the lining of 34 miles of high and moderate seepage canals of the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company. The plan would reduce the salt load to the San Juan River by 57,000 tons. The total cost (1981) is estimated at $35,400,000 and would yield a cost-effectiveness of approximately $450,000 per mq/l. The project would reduce the salinity concentration at Imperial Dam by 6.1 mg/l. -23-