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<br />Uinta Basin Unit <br /> <br />W <br />l'\J <br />c..' <br />CO <br /> <br />There are about 170,000 irrigated acres in the Uinta Basin of north- <br />western Utah. The area contributes about 450,000 tons of salt to the <br />Colorado River system each year. <br /> <br />A pilot study of irrigation scheduling and management was initiated in <br />the early summer of 1973. Sixteen farmers in the Moon Lake Water Users <br />Association agreed to parti~ipate in the program which included 81 <br />fields and 1,312 acres. Two weather stations were established in the <br />area and climatological data collection is under way. A report is <br />scheduled upon completion of the basin program in FY 1978. <br /> <br />Lower Gunnison Basin Unit <br /> <br />The Lower Gunnison subbasin in west-central Colorado contributes about <br />1,100,000 tons of dissolved solids annually. There are about 160,000 <br />irrigated acres in the subbasin. Background data collection is under <br />way and meetings with potential cooperating water users will be held <br />following the irrigation season. Irrigation scheduling is anticipated <br />to begin on a limited scale during the 1974 irrigation season. The <br />program is scheduled to continue through fiscal year 1980. <br /> <br />Water System Improvement and Manaqement Division <br /> <br />Grand Valley Basin Unit <br /> <br />Because of the uncertainty about the quantity of salt being contributed <br />from the irrigated areas of the Grand Valley, the first effort was aimed <br />at determining the amount of salt that could be prevented from entering <br />the Colorado River. In addition to the irrigation management and sched- <br />uling, a major effort is being directed toward more efficient application <br />of water with the purpose of eliminating a part of the return flow <br />containing high TDS concentrations. <br /> <br />An investigation is under way to determine the best methods of increasing <br />water delivery efficiency. The great majority of the Valley canals <br />were built and operated by private developers for a long period and <br />basic data such as maps, canal sizes, lengths, acreage served, cropping <br />patterns, and requirements were lacking. Therefore. a good deal of <br />field data had to be collected before an adequate system analysis could <br />be made. Because many different owners are involved, the Valley has <br />been divided into 12 individual systems. Data have been collected and <br />tabulated on these systems and designs and estimates have been prepared <br />for several of them. Major items that will be pursued are alternate <br />methods of delivery, system requirements based upon projected land use <br />patterns, a complete hydrogeologic study of the Valley, and evaluation <br /> <br />-6- <br />