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---- ~ en tl: ~ - -- --- - Salinity Update - -- - July 1981 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation A Quarterly Report on the Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program . - --- .-~ .' _. ..._.~.. '- ~"oI.;"_~ ~p-,- ",",'- .... ~ ,.... . .-e'<4';. ~...~_ -.....-~~ ~ __' ~"_,l_~~-r~~ ,.., - , !"J!'W''':'.' . .....-.. - ......~ .- .. - .- '/' 1',JA- . C,'\ ~.J' . '" , ~ Paradox in Paradox Valley Paradoll Valley IS localed In MontrOse County on one of five major salt an- tiClines which are located IhroughOUI SOult1western Colorado and southeastern Utah The erOSion of faulted and uplifted sandstone and st1ale formations crealed the valley ellposmg a residual gypsum cap whlct1 covers abOut 15.000 feet 01 nearly pure sail and salt-rich shale ThiS salt was deposited approlllmately 300 million years ago when a land-foc~ed secIlon Of ocean was lelt 10 e"aporale ParadOll Valley was so-nameCl because oflhe uniQue onentatlon oflhe DOlores River funning perpendicular 10 Ihe valley rather than Ihrough II GrOund water becomes nearly saturated when It comes InlO conI act Wltl"l Ihe top of the salt formation The ground waler then surfaces as salt bnne In the Dolores RI"er channel near the middle o! the "alley Ov~r 200,000 lonsol salt enler lhe fiver tl'uougnout the valley annually Tt1e brine emerges at a con- cenlraflon of apprOlllmalely 260,000 milligrams per tiler Img LI Of total dlssol"ed solidS and .111 a rate varymg Irom 0 210 2 cubiC teet per seCond (Cfs) ., -~ - " . ."'f. The Bureau of Reclamation began active planning Investlgalions m !972 In 1974 under Title II of PUbliC Law 93-320, the ParadOll Valley prOject recel"ed COnstruction stalus Investigations con- Imued and allernatlve plans 10 control and C1lspose Oflh!:> brine were evaluated In 1978. a Defmlle Plan Report and Environmental Impact Slalemenl were drallt'd recommending a plan The documents were offICIally approved In 1979 The plan mvol"ed pumpmg bnne 1rom wells parallel1ng Ihe DOlores River adjacent to brine mflow are<lS <lnd alsPOSlng of It In a large evaporallon pone .n Dry Creek. Bas," W,lh thiS plan. <In anliClp<lted 180.000 tons of salt per year WOuld be remo"ed from lroe Colorado RI"er al Imperial Dam resultmg m a decrease In sallnlly of 18 2 mg L Before mSlallmg permanent faCilities a brme InflOw conlrol verification program was initiated A senes of ,a producllon wells and 100 monllOrlng ....ells were Installed along With a tem- porary holdmg pond and 3 mIles or pipeline Pump lesllng and monitOring .... oa' ...... . ... l~"'po'.'v ...1>0..".... <>Ofld.~ P...oo. v.,.., .hd...ng 1.'~""C"""'.'OU~d''''_'_'.'Dtl'''pon'' began In March 1980 Results were "ery POSitive o~'er the months fOllowmg It was Shown Ihal by pumpm9 bflne at the rale a! 1 2 cIs apprOlllmalely 60 percent of Ihe past 8-year s average brme ,nflow could be COnI rolled The Bureau an. t,clpates that Inslalllng more production wells m straleglC locations and pumpmg a tOlal 01 appfO):lrnately 2 cfs, the ongmally estimated 180000 IOnS per year or sail can be removed TOllle and corrOSive hydrogen sul- fide gas aSSOCiated With the bflne must be removed lor surlace disposal The E&R Cenler sIal! IS testmg methods of removal through pilot plant sludles Imtlally a 5 Cis pumping rate was anticipated 10f COnlrollmg brine mflow The reduced 2 cIS rate as estimated from lest pumping Changed Ine crllena for ellalualing the brine disposal melhods makmg Other melhods 01 dIsposal including oeep ....ell mJ8Cllon more attraCII,,€, A pnvate englneermg conSultant was hired 10 sluey eeep well mJectlon of the brine Williams Brotners Engineering Company compleled Phase I o! Ihe two-phase Sludy In April 1981