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(n-:;o~8- SUMMARY The San Juan,llim Unit (Unit), Hammond Project Portion, a part of the Colorado Riveq"QuaI1ty Improvement Program (CRWQIP), is intended to reduce salt loading to the Colorado River system from the existing Hammond Project (Project), an irrigation project located in San Juan County, New Mexico. The Project extends along the southern bank of the San Juan River in a 20-mile strip south of Bloomfield, New Mexico, while the Unit itself encompasses the larger San Juan River Basin of the Four Corners area. 1 This Planning ReportlEnvironmental Assessment (PR/EA) summarizes the study of potential alternatives for controlling salinity sources from the Hammond Project and recommends a feasible and cost-effective plan for implementation." The report also satisfies National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance requirements. The main part of this document includes an assessment of area needs, resources, constraints, and potential alternative solutions. The environmental assessment (EA) incorporates an overview of environmental issues and is included as attachment A. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is currently studying alternatives to reduce salinity in the San Juan River drainage, which annually contributes approximately 1 million tons of salt to the Colorado River. Current problems associated with the Hammond Project Portion include salt pickup due to canal deep percolation and excessive conveyance system seepage losses, and operational costs from pumping excessive amounts of water to offset irrigation water lost to seepage. Salinity control studies on the San Juan River Unit, CRWQIP, were authorized as part of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of June 24, 1974 (Public Law [P.L.] 93-320, as amended by P.L. 98-569 on October 30, 1984) and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of October 1972 (P.L. 92-500), as amended by the Clean Water Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-217). Title II of the Salinity Control Act was directed toward salinity control of the Colorado River in the United States upstream from Imperial Dam. The Salinity Control Act of 1974 originally authorized the unit for study as part of a basinwide program to enhance and protect the quality of water in the Colorado River for use in the United States. EXISTING HAMMOND PROJECT From a diversion on the San Juan River, the Project provides a -full service irrigation supply to 3,933 acres of land. The entire irrigation supply is obtained from the direct flow of the river; if necessary, however, ,natural 1 The Four Corners area describes the junction of the States of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona. and Utah, as shown on the location map. :2 Cost effectiveness is the total annualized cost per ton of salt removed for each alternative.