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I SALINITY CONTROL Units Authorized For Construction Title II of the "Colorado River Basin Sal- inity Control Act'' of June 24, 1974, (Pub- lic Law 93-320), authorized the Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate and maintain four salinity control units as the initial stage of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. The four units are Paradox Valley, Grand Valley, Crystal Geyser, and Las Vegas Wash. Public Law 98-569, dated October 30, 1984, deau- thorized Crystal Geyser, and authorized Lower Gunnison Basin Unit, Stage One. It also authorized McElmo Creek Unit to be constructed under the Dolores Project. Paradox Valley Unit: The Bureau of Rec- lamation has begun work that will result in the drilling of a 15,500-foot-deep injec- tion test well. An assessment by Rec- lamation of data from the test deep-well injection will help determine the most cost-effective means for disposing of the saline water, which in the case of Para- dox Valley, is seven times the salinity of sea water. The contract, for $14,184,347, will take 21 months to complete and was awarded in July 1986. To date, erosion control structures have been completed, a temporary brine holding pond is com- pleted, and work has begun on the access road and injection well site. Grand Valley Unit: The Grand Valley Unit Final Environmental Impact State- ment was filed with the Environmental Protection Agency May 23, 1986; the Final Supplement to the Definite Plan Report was approved July 11, 1986, and the Record of Decision was also signed July 11, 1986, giving approval to proceed with construction of the project. On July 22, the bid opening on West End Government Highline Canal, State Two, was held. On September 3, the contract was awarded to HAJCO Construction, Inc., of Sandy, Utah, for $4.1 million. The work consists of constructing 7.2 miles of detention ditch, wasteway turnout struc- tures, field turnouts, underdrain culverts and two bridges. Work is expected to take 19 months. Lower Gunnison Basin Unit: Public Law 98-569, October 30, 1984, authorized construction in the Uncompahgre Valley Area of the Lower Gunnison Unit. The Lower Gunnison Basin Unit Preconstruc- tion Report is being prepared. The Winter Water replacement portion of the advance planning activities is under- way to develop information and activities necessary to remove wintertime flows from about 65 percent of the canals and laterals of the Uncompahgre Valley and to mitigate the need for such water by expanding the existing domestic water supply system. La Vegas Wash Unit: Alternative strate- gies for salinity control are being tested by two verification programs. In the Pitt- man area, a 3.5 mile bypass pipeline was installed to convey fresh water that had been flowing in unlined ditches to the Wash. When the ditch seepage was stopped, the groundwater table in the area dropped. The reduced groundwater flow is expected to leach less salt from i subsurface deposits. A salt load reduction of 7,000 tons per year is anticipated. Another strategy to change the pattern of groundwater flow by forming subsurface detention basins with peripheral slurry walls is being studied in the Whitney area. The environmental assessment for the Whitney Verification Program was published in May 1986. Continued coordi- nation with local entities concerned with wastewater treatment, wetlands park development, or other recreational activi- ties is required to maintain support for salinity control programs in the Wash. McElmo Creek Unit: Public Law 98-569, dated October 30, 1984, authorized com- bining McElmo Creek Unit salinity fea- tures with features of the Dolores Project now under construction. " 11 Exposed salt in an irrigated field in the Grand Valley near Grand Junction, Colorado Salt deposits along the Colorado River bank near Grand Junction, Colorado