WSPC01779

• File Number: 8272
• Description: Colorado River - Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program - CRBSCP
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 2/1/1989
• Title: Salinity Update - February 1989
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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17 WHERE TO NOW?

presently being funded by the
Agricultural Research Service.
Additional research support is being
provided by the CSRS through
several Western State agricultural
experiment stations. Progress is
being made through research efforts
and demonstration sites within the
Grand Valley and Uinta Basin
implementation projects.

Monitoring and Evaluation

\ SCS is responsible for developing
and implementing a monitoring and
evaluation (M&E) plan in each of
the USDA salinity projects. The
primary objectives of these plans are
to:

. Assess the effectiveness of
program implementation on
reducing salt loading to the
Colorado River,

. Monitor the impacts of
implementation on wetlands
and wildlife habitat values; and

. Determine the costs and
economic effects of program
implementation.

SCS, with assistance from others,
carries out its M&E responsibilities
as an integral part of the CRse
program.

Monitoring and evaluation
activities have been underway in
the Grand Valley and Uinta Basin
for several years. Valuable infor-
mation is being obtained in these
projects on the costs, impacts, and

effectiveness of the salinity control
practices being applied. In the Big
Sandy, Lower Gunnison, McElmo,
and Moapa Valley projects, M&E
plans have been prepared and are in
the early phases of implementation.

WHERE TO NOW?

The Evaluation Process

USDA and Interior will continue
to use the annual joint evaluation
process. Using a budget and least
cost investment computer model,
the evaluation process will deter-
mine the optimal combination of
projects and construction timing
necessary to meet salt load
reduction goals at minimum costs.
This process provides a program
management tool to support
accomplishment of salinity control
objectives at overall maximum cost
effectiveness. This approach to
long-term, program-wide analysis is
helpful to Federal program
managers when weighing the many
budget choices each year.

Based on the analysis, it appears
that total remaining construction
costs for the program to meet the
numeric criteria and required salt
load reduction are now projected to
be about $530 million (1988 price
level).

A repayment analysis model has
also been developed to evaluate the
ability of the Lower Colorado River
Basin Fund to repay its share of the
total program costs. For the

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