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<br />WHAT IS SELENIUM? <br /> <br />Selenium is an essential trace element that naturally occurs in the environment, Selenium is widely distrib- <br />uted in rocks, soils, water and living organisms, In the western United States, it is most common in marine <br />sedimentary deposits like the local Mancos shale. Selenium is highly mobile and biologically available in <br />arid regions having alkaline soils, typical of western Colorado's irrigated valleys, <br /> <br />WHY IS SELENIUM A PROBLEM? <br /> <br />Based on known margins of safety between normal and toxic dietary exposures, selenium is more poison- <br />ous than either arsenic or mercury, However, selenium, in minor amounts, is an essential trace nutrient for <br />animals and humans. In July 1997, the State Water Quality Control Commission adopted a 5 ppb (parts <br />per billion) aquatic life standard for selenium in the Gunnison River Basin. Several stream segments (see <br />map) within the basin did not meet this new standard and temporary modifications were imposed to allow <br />measures to be taken locally to bring these segments into compliance. <br />.^"-..' :" <br /> <br />. ... . <br /> <br />~ evaluating studies in progress by several federal entities including lining ponds and <br />canals, piping laterals, dilutions of stream flows, and treating selenium drainage water, <br />~ undertaking a public outreach and education program to encourage local <br />citizens to participate in finding solutions, <br />~ proposing to chronicle the effects of new rural residential development. <br />~ looking at measures to reduce present and future non-agricultural selenium contributions, <br /> <br />3, Can remediation measures achieve the Task Force's goal to meet water quality standards <br />while maintaining the vialbility of current land uses? To help answer this question, we will: <br />~ compare financial, social, and environmental costs of potential measures <br />with the anticipated benefits, <br />_ -~--determinejt'adequate_seleoium reductions can be expected and the goal <br />achieved by implementing remediation measures, <br />~ determine if suffient funding can be obtained to solve the problem, and <br />~ examine the implications of not achieving the goal. <br /> <br /> <br />4, How would remediation measures be implemented and by whom? <br />~ Public and stakeholder involvement will be a vital component of the Task Force's efforts, <br /> <br />WHAT IS BEING DONE ABOUT <br />THE SELENIUM PROBLEM? <br />