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J('""n J. u J'.- During the year, construction of the 35-mile segment located in Mexico was continued and construction of the 16-mile segment loc"ated in the United States was initiated. Both segments of this facility are scheduled for completion in 1977. To reduce the volume of saline irrigation return flows from the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District, the Federal government is acquiring about 6,200 acres which are being retired from production, along with non-irrigated lands already in federal governmental ownership, which add to a total of 10,000 acres of agricultural land within the District. The Bureau estimates that this reduction in acreage, coupled with an irrigation management services program to improve irrigation efficiency, will reduce future drainage and, therefore, the volume of water to be desalted, from the current 215,000 acre-feet per year to a projected 173,000 acre-feet per year. Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program The Bureau of Reclamation continued its studies and investigations during 1976 on the four salinity control units authorized by Title II of P.l. 93-320: the Crystal Geyser Unit in Utah, the Paradox Valley and Grand Valley Units in Colorado, and the Las Vegas Wash Unit in Nevada. Planning studies on the twelve potential salinity control projects specified in P.L. 93-320 were also continued. The Bureau completed the draft environmental impact statement on the program and held public hearings in California, Colorado, Nevada and Utah. Preliminary studies have indicated that the Crystal Geyser Unit, which will reduce the salt load of the Colorado River system by the relatively minor amount of 3,000 tons per year, may not be cost-effective at this time. Thus, development of this 10 project has been postponed pending further analysis. Development of the three other authorized units will consist of two or more stages. The first stage of the Paradox Valley Unit is scheduled for completion in 1979 and the second stage in 1985. When the second stage is completed, it is estimated that the unit will remove about 180,000 tons of salt annually from the Colorado River System. The Grand Valley Unit includes construction as well as irrigation management and improvement activities. It is expected that the major construction activities connected with this project will be completed in 1987. At that time, the project will remove an estimated 250,000 tons of salt annually from the System. The Soil Conservation Service cost-sharing program of on-farm improvements will remove an additional 150,000 tons. The first stage of the Las Vegas Wash Unit is scheduled for completion in 1984. The salt removal capability of this project will increase with time until the year 1990 when it will be removing 46,000 tons per year. At that time, the second stage is planned for construction, and the total unit will then have the capability of removing at least 76,000 tons of salt annually. Early in the year, the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Advisory Council was established. The Advisory Council, which was created by P.l. 93-320, consists of representatives from the seven Colorado River Basin States. The Board's Chief Engineer is one of California's representatives. Its duties are to act as liaison between the Departments of Interior and Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency, to be kept apprised of the progress of the salinity control program and to comment on those efforts, and to recommend to the federal agencies appropriate additional projects, techniques or means of accomplishing salinity control. Basin Water Quality Control Plans Section 208 of Public Law 92-500 established a continuing planning process to protect and enhance the nation's waters. Under Section 208 planning, the difficult problems of non-point source pollution, such as runoff from forestry, mining and agricultural activities, are addressed. Most of the basin states have initiated areawide planning under Section 208, including consideration of salinity in the waste management plans. Areawide 208 planning is being proposed for the Colorado River region in California. During 1976, the Colorado River Board and the California Colorado River Regional Water Quality Control Board developed a plan of study relating to the salinity problem and the development of best management practices to minimize salt return to the river from non-point sources. The Board will participate in the studies. Consortium of Water Institutes and Centers The Consortium of Water Institutes and Centers is an organization of universities in the Colorado River Basin states that perform water-related research in the Basin. The Board's Assistant Chief Engineer is a member of the Consortium's Technical Advisory Committee. Among the several research projects currently being conducted by the various members of the Consortium are: 1. A study of anti-transpirants, the objective of which is to salvage water by reducing the evapo-transpiration of phreatophytes through the use of anti-transpirant substances. This process minimizes the impacts on wildlife that would otherwise occur if phreatophytes were entirely eliminated. 2. A study to determine the economic damages incurred by agricultural, municipal and industrial water users due to existing and projected increases in salinity of the Colorado River.