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The Uintah Basin has several environmentally sensitive areas. These include the lower 2-1/2 miles of the Duchesne River (which has been designated as critical habitat for the razorback sucker by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Stewart Lake, Nine Mile Canyon, the Book Cliffs and the High Uinta Wilderness. 2.8 Water Funding Programs Federal, state and private funding programs are described in Section 8. Funding programs are available to provide loans and grants for many types of water-related projects. The Central Utah Project has spent about $1.2 billion on water projects by the Bureau of Reclamation. Agencies of state government have provided almost $31 million to water system development and improvements. The federally funded Colorado River Salinity Control Program has contributed over $41 million. 2.9 Water Planning and Development This section describes the major past, present, and proposed water planning and development activities in the Uintah Basin, including a discussion of the Central Utah Project. The current water planning and development in Duchesne and Uintah counties includes determining the projects that will be included in the final phase of the Central Utah Project. The Colorado River Salinity Control Program, a federal, state and local cooperative program ongoing in the Uintah Basin, is discussed. A list of the water projects receiving financial assistance from the Board and Division of Water Resources is provided in this section. Proposed local water projects such as Red Wash Dam, Lower Ashley Creek Dam, Leota Bench Supplemental Irrigation, Ashley Creek Stabilization, Alta Ditch, Highline, Upper Canal, Red Creek Irrigation, Dry Gulch Class C, Pleasant Valley and Payne Canal are discussed. Projected demand for irrigation water will decrease from 797,610 acre-feet in 1995 to 781,920 acre-feet in 2050. Municipal and industrial water will increase from 12,110 acre-feet in 1995 to 26,940 acre-feet in 2050. Projects to increase water supplies in the basin are more efficient irrigation methods, conservation and small reservoir construction. An issue of concern to water suppliers is that many communities are not adequately planning for future growth. All communities should prepare a long-term water management plan which includes new water supply sources and water conservation programs. 2.10 Agricultural Water This section discusses the agricultural aspects of the basin. Agricultural activities are an important part of the economy. There are 201,120 acres of irrigated cropland which deplete about 411,310 acre- feet of water annually (mostly for pasture and alfalfa). Present cropland trends show a decrease to 197,490 acres by 2050. Crop yields have decreased in areas with poor drainage and salt toxicity problems. The Colorado River Salinity Project, however, has helped to increase crop yields through better irrigation practices, such as sprinkler and gated pipe irrigation. Two water policy issues affecting agriculture are a general shortage of irrigation water during July and August, due to inadequate reservoir storage in the basin, and the reduction of the Colorado River Salinity Control Program. Water storage reservoirs should be constructed on the Yellowstone, Uinta, and Whiterocks rivers and upper and lower Ashley Creek. The Colorado River Salinity Control Program in the Uintah Basin should be fully funded and completed. 2.11 Drinking Water Section 11 discusses public and private water supplies in the basin and reviews their present status. Towns, cities and counties all have primary responsibility for drinking water quality control in their jurisdiction, under rules set forth by the state. All of the 28 public drinking water systems in the basin have been approved by the Utah Division of Drinking Water. Most public community culinary water supplies will be adequate into 2050. Verification that a public water system is meeting state and federal 2-4