Laserfiche WebLink
<br />Previous and Related Investigations <br /> <br />The Uinta Basin Unit was included as part of a water quality study <br />of the entire Colorado River system by the Federal Water Pollution Control <br />Administration (FWPCA) between 1963 and 1970. Joint investigations <br />of the salinity problem and possible control measures were conducted <br />in 1968-1969 by the FWPCA and the Bureau. The results of these studies <br />were published in 1971 by the Environmental Protection Agency under the <br />title of Mineral Quality Problems in the Colorado River Basin. <br /> <br />Subsequent to the passage of Public Law 93-320, the Bureau completed <br />several technical studies on the Uinta Basin Unit, including canal loss <br />studies, topographic and orthophoto mapping and cross sections of canal <br />reaches, mass balance analysis of salt loading, wildlife habitat and <br />archeological studies, and collections of water quality data at 90 <br />surface water and 30 ground water stations. Since 1978, water quality <br />data have been collected at 39 key surface water stations, <br /> <br />The Central Utah Project (CUp) is a Bureau project consisting of the <br />Bonneville, Upalco, Uintah, Vernal, and Jensen Units. The Uinta Basin Unit <br />of the CRWQIP is aimed at salinity reduction and is coordinated with <br />CUP activities. The Bureau's computer mass balance studies for salinity <br />reduction in the basin have not been based on a future with the CUP units <br />in place. New computer studies are being completed to show the Cup's <br />effects on salinity reduction. <br /> <br />Department of Agriculture activities <br /> <br />The Bureau works closely with the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) of <br />the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to coordinate the salinity con- <br />trol programs. Each agency plans, implements, and funds its own program. <br />However, the Bureau's final plan for Ashley Valley in the eastern portion <br />of the Uinta Basin will impact SCS's plan for on-farm improvements in <br />the area. The SCS plan, in order to be as effective as possible, would <br />call for the Bureau to combine three of the canals in the area into one <br />delivery system which would be more efficient and would also be more <br />effective in salinity reduction. If the Bureau is unable to accommodate <br />the SCS's wishes in Ashley Valley, that agency would be required to alter <br />their plans for on-farm improvements in the area. <br /> <br />The SCS has reported that their on-farm irrigation efficiency improve- <br />ments, through better control and management of irrigation water, will <br />reduce the annual salt contribution by 76,600 tons and increase average <br />annual streamflow by 20,200 acre-feet. This, in turn, would reduce the <br />salt concentration by approximately 10.3 mg/L at Imperial Dam, or allow the <br />water quality at the dam to be maintained at the present level while <br />allowing the development of an additional 86,000 acre-feet of water. <br />Improvement in average on-farm irrigation efficiency from 34 to 51 percent <br />will be accomplished by (1) installing and using water conveyance and <br />control structures and measuring devices, (2) using the irrigation system <br />best adapted to the soil, crops, and level of management desired, (3) util- <br />izing soils information to properly design and layout irrigation systems, <br />and (4) applying the proper amount of water at the proper time to meet crop <br />consumptive use. <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br />OU(453 <br />