WSPC06949

• File Number: 8276
• Description: Colorado River-Salinity Projects and Issues Located in Colorado
• State: CO
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 10/31/1974
• Title: Colorado River Salinity White River Meeker and Piceance Creek Wells 1971-76-Summary of the Meeker Dome History
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

. .

The hole was plugged and abandoned in October, 1972. There has been

no sign of leakage in the vicinity of this well.

8.

0""'"1 ,,~J
Frem 1967 to 1968, the Federal Water Pollution Control Administra-

tion requested the Bureau of Reclamation to select pilot projects to

test various salinity control methods on the Colorado River system.

Two flowing wells were selected for the demonstration, the Meeker well

and the piceance Creek well on piceance
drilling
plugged by a private xxxX~y~~ company

Creek. The wells were

"c-l...,",ste,(.,( b y
under contract ~ the Bureau

during August, 1968. A report of the project entitled "Upper Colo-

n
toP.
M
'=

xxae rado River Basin salinity Control Project - Plugging Meeker and

piceance Creek Wells - Colorado, October, 1968" is available through

the upper Colorado Region of the u. S. Bureau of Reclamation, Salt

Lake city, Utah. The Meeker well was reported as flowing at about

3 cubic feet per second (6 acre-feet per day) of 19,200 parts per

per year). Plugging of the

or 157 tons of salt per
I ~,+'.II,/
welL\rednced the sodium

day (57,000 tons

million salt concentration,

load of the

White River by over 50 percent and the chloride load by about 75

percent, as monitored at the U. S. Geological Survey gage below

Meeker. All signs of surface flow were eliminated.

9. In February,x1969, the Bureau of Reclamation confirmed that the

~ Kritsas wells were flowing, although no flow had been apparent in

;j
~ 1968. These wells were plugged in the fall of 1969, as stated in

item 5.

10. From 1970 to 1971, saline seepage was reported on the south side

of the dome near the Meeker well. A ~xRX preliminary reconnaissance

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