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with now saline groundwater, which has increased SC and SAR as a result of dissolving the naturally occurring salts in the soil, resulting in an increase in the SC and SAR of the in- stream water as it flows downstream. As is common in the PRB, the volume of produced waters decreases with time, causing the dis- charge in the channel to decrease. Associated with the decreased discharge is a lowering of the water depth in the channel which causes a reversal of hydraulic gradi- ent. When this situation occurs, there is less mixing of discharge water with groundwater and the SC and SAR in- stream increases further. During our investigation, we noted that significant salt crusts had formed on the near - channel soils for the study site that had been in operation for 4 years. For the site with two years of operation, there was only mi- nor salt crust. For the site that came on -line during our study, we observed that salt crusts formed in several locations once the near - channel soils became saturated. Our findings show that changes in water quality can happen on a relatively short time frame as the dis- charge water interacts with the salts in the soil. During the first couple of years as the discharge of produced waters stays relatively constant, the major impact is the large increase of SC and SAR in the saturated near - channel soils with a minor increase in these parameters as the discharge water moves downstream. As the dis- charge of produced waters decreases, there is a large increase in SC and SAR values as the water moves downstream due to the reversed hydraulic gradient. Another major impact is that once discharge ceases, the water in the once saturated near - channel soils will evaporate, leaving behind a significant amount of salt crust on the surface of the soils. Alternatives for CBM water disposal include rein- jection, mixing with other salts to decrease SAR, or evaporation. However, with the presence of salts in the soils coupled with the and climate, these alterna- tives may be for naught. Please feel free to contact us with any ques- tions. Acknowledgments Funding for this study and thesis sup- port for Andy Neuhart was provided by USEPA under contract CP- 98864201 -0, Denver, CO. Colorado Foundation for Water Education Hires New Director DENVER -The Colorado Foundation for Wa- ter Education is pleased to announce that it has named Don Glaser as its new Executive Director for the statewide non - advocacy water organiza- tion. Glaser comes to the Foundation from the Douglas Land Conservancy, where he also served as Execu- tive Director. He has also been employed as a senior manager for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and as a private consultant. In the mid- 1990s, he was appointed executive director of the Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission. The commission was charged with reviewing the status of western water resources, and addressing potential changes to federal policy. Glaser will begin work with the Foundation June 1. He will work in transition with the existing Executive Director, Karla Brown, who will resign on June 19. The Colorado Foundation for Water Education was created in 2002 to promote better understand- ing of water resources through education and information. It publishes Headwaters magazine, guides tours around the state, and offers leader- ship trainings, conferences, and publications on topics such as water law, water quality, and conservation. The Foundation is the only non -ad- vocacy water education organization in state. For more information call (303)377 -4433 or visit the foundation web site at www.cfwe.org. Annual Meeting of International Soil and Water Conservation Society July 22 -26, 2006 Keystone, Colorado For more information or to register, go to http://www.swcs.org/en/swcs-intemational-conferences/