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Delivery Systems <br /> stems <br /> The irrigation delivery systems for the Grand Valley consist of both <br /> private and Federal developments. The private portion was essentially <br /> constructed prior to 1910 and consists of the facilities of the Grand Valley <br /> Irrigation Company, the Palisade Irrigation District, Mesa County Irrigation <br /> District, the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District, and the Redlands Water and <br /> Power Company. The Federal portion of the system is basically the Grand <br /> Valley Project, constructed between 1912 and 1917 by the U.S. Reclamation <br /> Service (now the Bureau of Reclamation), and which presently carries water to <br /> the Palisade, Mesa County and Orchard Mesa Irrigation Districts in addition to <br /> its own facilities. Privately owned laterals serve about 75 percent of the <br /> valley's irrigated lands. <br /> Private System Concerns <br /> Because the organization on the private system is loose there are many <br /> lateral owners not organized into groups legally capable of entering into <br /> contracts for the operation and maintenance of improvements under the <br /> salinity control program. To alleviate this situation, a Memorandum of <br /> Understanding (MOU) was entered into in FY 1982 between the Colorado Coopera- <br /> tive Extension Service (CCES) the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) and the <br /> Bureau of Reclamation. Under the MOU the CCES is working on programs to <br /> organize the private lateral owners into entities capable of entering into the <br /> necessary agreement. Such agreements must be completed before construction <br /> can begin. <br /> The laterals under the Federal system are operated by the Grand Valley <br /> Water Users Association which is capable of entering contractual agreements, <br /> so lateral organization will not be required. <br /> Two agreements for private system water users will be necessary, a permit <br /> from landowners that will allow use of land during construction and another <br /> that will set forth conditions of operation and maintenance after construc- <br /> tion. A major concern regarding the O&M agreement surrounds inspection after <br /> construction. This topic has been brought to the attention of the Colorado <br /> River Salinity Control Forum to determine if the states would become involved <br /> in this aspect of the salinity pnogram. The final form for these agreement <br /> has not yet been established. <br /> Stage Two Construction <br /> Initiation of Construction on Stage Two requires the following: <br /> 1 . Obtaining an operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement with the water <br /> conveyance system owners. This requires organization of lateral <br /> system owners into an entity capable of signing and O&M agreement. <br /> 2. Completion and filing of an Environmental Statement (ES) with EPA. <br /> Filing is scheduled for January 1986. <br /> 2 <br />