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<br />Authorized Units <br /> <br />The four Units authorized 'or <br />construction are Grand Valley and <br />Parada:<- Valley In Colorado. Las Vegas <br />WaSh In Nevada. and Crysfal Geyser in <br />Utah The lOcation 01 lhese and other <br />units under study are shown on the baSin <br />map, along With the local Ion of Hoover <br />Parlo;er. and Impenal Dams. the salinity <br />standard stations <br /> <br />Grand Valley encompasses about <br />122.000 acres near Grand JunCllon. <br />Colorado Almost two-thirds at the <br />valley IS IHlgaled, which contributes <br />about 780.000 Ions 01 sail annua!Jy to the <br />Colorado River MOSI of the salt is <br />leaChed from the SOil and underlYing <br />manne shale by deep percolation and <br />water delivery system losses The unll <br />Will reduce the sail toad by aboul41O,DOQ <br />tons annually WI!h an overall eHec! 0' <br />redUCing the salinity at Imperial Dam by <br />43 mg/L <br /> <br />Water and Power will line the canals and <br />plans to place the laterals In pipe to <br />reduce seepage. The Department of <br />Agnculture will promote on-farm <br /> <br />.... <br />en <br />-.,J <br />:J1 <br /> <br />Improvements. including upgrading of <br />Irrigation systems and Irrigation <br />management Water and Power also <br />plans to prOVide a wildlife area and <br />watering ponds to compenSate for <br />wildlife habitat losses resulting Irom the <br />canal and laterat Improvement program <br />PlaCing falerals In pipe and providing a <br />Wildlife area IS dependent upon <br />CongressiOnal authorization since those <br />actiOns were not a part 01 the original <br />legislation <br /> <br />Construction In stages Will allow <br />Investigators to verify effects of Inftlal <br />development while they Continue <br />planning me res! of the unit Lining part <br />of the mam canal will begin thIS fall <br />under a $7 4 million contract awarded to <br />Peter E. KieWit and Sons In August 1980 <br /> <br />Paradox Valley in SOuthwestern <br />Colorado is a collapsed salt antlcline <br />underlain by a salt dome This dome <br />adds about 205,000 tons of salt annually <br />to the Dolores River via saline ground <br />water as It crosses the valley The unit IS <br />deSigned to remove 180.000 tons a year <br /> <br />by pumping the saline ground water' <br />(brme-260.000 mg'L TDS) from a well <br />field along the DOlores River thus <br />preventing It from surfaCing In the <br />riverbed <br /> <br />A tesl well Ileld has already been <br />Installed as part of the deSign data <br />collection program. and other faCilities <br />reQuired for bflne treatment and <br />disposal will be added dUring unll <br />construction Preliminary results of test <br />pumping of the well field are venfymg <br />that the brine interception technique is <br />effective in keeping sail Irom enlenng <br />the river <br /> <br />Once the brine has been Intercepted, It <br />must be disposed of Three options are <br />being pursued Simultaneously to <br />Identity the most cost-effective solullon. <br />Evaporation In the proposed Radium <br />Dam and Reservolf was the offgmal <br />alternative The other two optIOns under <br />study are deep well injection and <br />mtergratlon Into a pipeline disposal <br />system lor POSSible energy related <br />obJectives. (The plpelme collection <br />system will be diSCussed In a future <br />Issue) ThiS unfl wfll result In a net <br />decrease of salinity at Imperial Dam of <br />about 18 mg/l. <br /> <br />Las Vegas Wash diSCharges Into lhe Las <br />Vegas Bay arm Of Lake Mead Industrial <br />plants, secondary treated muniCipal <br />wastewater, and ifflgatlon runoff water <br />contflbute large amounts of dissolved <br />solids to the Lower Colorado River <br />through Las Vegas WaSh Past disposal <br />of wastewater from Industffal and <br />sewage treatment plants mto unlined <br />evaporation ponds formed large saline <br />ground waler moundS Industnes <br />reCently builtlmed Ponds to hOld <br />subsequent saline flows Early results of <br />monltormg programs show the ground <br />water mound IS diSSipating more rapidly <br />than predicted: therefore, further studies <br />are underway to venfy hydraulic <br />assumptions and to Insure the <br />compatibility of wastewater treatment <br />and salinity contra' strategies lor the Las <br />Vegas Valley <br /> <br />Crystal Geyser IS a prrvately owned <br />abandoned 011 test ....ell south of Green <br />River, Utah. A relatively minor amount of <br />sall. about 3,000 tons annually, IS <br />contnbuted to the Colorado River <br />system from thiS geyser To collect and <br />carry the flows to a nearby lined <br />evaporation pond prOved too costly lor <br />the small amount (about 0 3 mgL) of <br />salinity reduction Therefore, we are <br />taking no further action <br /> <br />