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<br />;J': <br /> <br />. ..: <br /> <br />.. . <br />NEWS <br /> <br />[_~~~:.__r~="~c.~f'~l <br /> <br />United Statesi!~~r. -f-. I : -1.~#DA News Di~iSion <br />Department olfFL' ~om 404-A <br />Agriculture ~~ W,~shington, D.C. 20250 <br /> <br /> <br />Office of JOii'i1f{YliiC-=----J! (202) 447-6787 <br />Information Deborah Takiff Smith (2Q2) 447-4026 <br /> <br />tV <br />CO <br />.:::.. <br />00 <br /> <br />USDA IIti'LEMENTS SALINITY CONTROL PROGRAM FOR COLORADO RIVER <br /> <br />WASHINGTON, May 4--The U.S. Department of Agriculture will implement a <br /> <br />program to reduce the amount of salt that flows into the Colorado River from <br /> <br />irrigated land and canals and other conduits for irrigation water, sa~d Milton <br /> <br />Hertz, administrator of USDA's Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation <br /> <br />Se rvice. <br /> <br />The program, which will continue into the first decade of the next <br /> <br />century, is funded at 53,804,000 in fiscal year 1987. It will provide cost <br /> <br />sharing and technical assistance to farmers, irrigation districts and canal <br /> <br />companies to provide modern irrigation equipment and to improve or replace <br /> <br />canals and. laterals, which connect canals with on-farm irrigation systems. <br /> <br />Such irrigation improvements will greatly reduce "deep percolation,. <br /> <br />or seepage of water through salt-laden soils and shale formations, which <br /> <br />dissolves the underground layers of salt and eventually carries it into the <br /> <br />Co lorado Rive r. <br /> <br />"The public will benefit through cleaner water, and downstream users <br /> <br />of irrigation water will have less of a salt problem on their fields,. said <br /> <br />Hertz. The program also helps implement a 1974 agreement with the Republic of <br /> <br />Mexico to reduce salt levels in the Colorado River. <br /> <br />USDA will pay up to 70 percent of the cost of irrigation improvements, <br /> <br />- m.ore - <br /> <br />0305 <br /> <br />521-87 <br /> <br />USDA news releases and ocher news, economic, and marketing reporcs are <br />available electronically through USDA's ~DI SERVICE. Call (202) 447-5505. <br />