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<br />The Bureau of Land Management has developed a water source inventory to identify <br />and characterize water uses and respective sources on the public lands. Saline springs <br />are identified through the program. Control of saline springs is analyzed through <br />BLM's planning process with major sources being brought to Reclamation's attention. <br /> <br />u.s. Department of Agriculture <br /> <br />Public Law 98-569 provides a separate authority for implementation of USDA Colo- <br />rado River Salinity Control projects. The initial funds for implementation were <br />appropriated in FY87. Public Law 98-569 authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to: <br />(1) identify salt source areas and develop project plans for salinity control; (2) provide <br />financial and technical assistance to land users to plan, install, and maintain salinity <br />reduction practices including voluntary replacement of incidental fish and wildlife <br />values foregone; (3) conduct research, demonstration, and education activities; and <br />(4) monitor and evaluate program effectiveness. <br /> <br />To date, USDA implementation plans have been prepared for the Uinta Basin, Uinta <br />Basin Expansion, Grand Valley, Lower Gunnison Basin, McElmo Creek, Mancos <br />Valley, Virgin Valley, and Big Sandy River salinity control projects. A joint salinity <br />control plan has been prepared by SCS and Reclamation for the Price-San Rafael area <br />in Utah. Preliminary investigations are underway in the San Juan Basin of <br />New Mexico. <br /> <br />Current USDA implementation efforts are concentrated in the Grand Valley, Uinta <br />Basin, Lower Gunnison Basin, Big Sandy River, and McElmo Creek Projects. The <br />U.S. Department of Agriculture implementation schedule is controlled by annual <br />appropriations for the Colorado River Salinity Control Program. Funding was <br />allocated to the Grand Valley and Uinta Projects in 1987 and each year thereafter. In <br />1988, the first Colorado River Salinity Control funds were allocated to the Lower <br />Gunnison Basin and Big Sandy River Projects, and in 1990, funds were allocated to <br />the McElmo Creek Project. Other project implementation starts are scheduled to be <br />phased in over a period of years as program funding levels increase. The imple- <br />mentation schedule for USDA projects is based upon projected salt-load reduction <br />needs, cost-effectiveness analysis, the probability of Federal funding, and the Basin <br />Fund repayment capability. <br /> <br />Public Law 98-569 directs the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a monitoring and <br />evaluation program to evaluate the effectiveness of USDA's Colorado River Salinity <br />Control Program. In 1987, the Technical Policy Coordinating Committee of SCS and <br />Reclamation published the Monitoring and Evaluation of Salinity Control Projects <br />Interim Guide for the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. In August <br />1991, SCS published the Framework Plan for Monitoring and Evaluating the Colorado <br />River Salinity Control Program. This publication provides detailed instructions for all <br />monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities carried out by USDA. The three general <br />purposes of the M&E effort are: (1) collect salinity control data; (2) evaluate the effect <br />of salinity reduction practices on salt reduction; and (3) verify costs, project <br />effectiveness, economic benefits, and impacts on wildlife habitat. <br /> <br />53 <br />