BOARD01914

• Board Meeting Date: 12/4/1974
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Resolution
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

of canals and lateral systems in the valley. Act
directed Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate
in planning and construction of on-farm system
measures under programs available to that depart-
ment.

(2) Programs are expected to prevent about 200,000
tons of salts from entering the Colorado River.

(3) Definite plan studies scheduled for completion
at end of FY 1976.

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(4)

Current activities include preparation of design
data, drilling of observation wells along canal
alignments and across Grand Valley to determine
ground water levels and profiles.

(5) Joint ponding tests with ARS on govermnent High-
line Canal to determine seepage losses and to
compare data obtained from seepage meters.

(6) Negotiations are under way to obtain by contract
detailed topographic maps for valley to facilitate
design data ~equirements for canals and laterals.

(7) Construction could require up to ten years
because of extremely short period of time avail-
able each year when canals are not in service
and weather conditions are adequate for canal
construction. Estimated construction cost is
$59 million.

c. Paradox Valley Unit

(1) Initial investigations on Paradox Valley Unit,
started in FY 1972, included a scheme to regulate
Dolores River with a major dam above Bedrock,
provide a bypass channel and a small dam at
lower end of the valley to collect and evaporate
the saline flows entering in Paradox Valley.
This scheme had a heavy environmental impact.

(2) Subsequent investigations revealed that about
200,000 tons of salt were being carried to
Dolores River by a relatively small amount of
highly mineralized water arising in the valley.

(3) This saline seep could likely be removed by a
system of pumped wells, conveyed to a reservoir
for disposal by evaporation.

(4) Estimated that 180,000 tons could be removed by
this process.

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