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<br />USDA'S CRSC
<br />PROGRAM ACTIVITiES
<br />
<br />The Congress ap~roprlated
<br />$3,804,000 In Fiscal year 1987,
<br />along with a contlnul~g appropria-
<br />tion of $2,196,000 froln ACP
<br />(Agricultural ConservJltlon '
<br />Program) funds, to Irtltlate .the
<br />USDA's voluntary Of\~C lColorado
<br />PlI'{er Salinity contro~onfarm
<br />program !luthorlzed y S/lctlon
<br />202(c) of Public Law 3-320, as
<br />amended (43 USC.T 92(jJ)),
<br />USDA pUblished Inte;lm Rules and
<br />RegUlations In the Fetleral
<br />Register on May 5, 1$87,'settlng
<br />forth the terms and. conditions for
<br />Implementing the am~'. nded,'. Public
<br />Law 93-320, The Ag cultural
<br />. Stabilization and Co ervatlon
<br />Service published ItstPer., a. tlng pro-
<br />cedures for admlnlst ring the
<br />program on May 13, ollowed by .
<br />publication on May 2.,1$87, of
<br />the Soil ConservatlonlServlce's
<br />,
<br />operating procedure$! for .the
<br />program, '
<br />
<br />CRSC appllcatlonslfor $4 mil-
<br />lion In assistance on ithloh plan-
<br />ning Is underway hav. been .
<br />received from 56 produc~rs In the
<br />Uinta Basin and for $1.500,000 In
<br />assistance from 47 prPctucers In
<br />the Grand Valley Unlt~hrqugh
<br />September 30, 1987. llmplementa-
<br />tlon of the USDA volufl\ary pro-
<br />gram Is underway wlt~ the signing
<br />of 12 contracts totalln~ $566,000
<br />In the Uinta Basin Unl and 3 con-
<br />tracts for about $172, 00 In the
<br />Grand Valley Unit, obligating a .
<br />total of $738,000 In Fe,deral funds,
<br />
<br />As a result of cost-$hare expen-
<br />ditures paid under the!new CRSC
<br />program In Fiscal Yea I' 1967, a
<br />Basin Fund repaymen debt has
<br />been Incurred. Expen Itures of
<br />$62,113 In the Uinta B sin and
<br />$26,894 In the Grand ,alley, .
<br />
<br />totaling $109,007, result In a
<br />$27,797 repayment obligation for
<br />the .Lower Basin Development
<br />Fund and $4,905 for the Upper
<br />Basin Fund.
<br />
<br />Uinta Basin CRSC Signing
<br />Ceremony
<br />
<br />Seventy Individuals representing .
<br />Federal. State, and local agencies;
<br />private landowners and Irrigation '
<br />company representatives attended
<br />a special first contracts signing
<br />, ceremony at Roosevelt, Utah, on
<br />July 2,1987, which obligated
<br />$434,918 of Colorado River
<br />Salinity Control (CRSC) federal
<br />cost-share assistance funds, Nine
<br />contracts were signed by local offi-
<br />cials which provide onfarm Irriga-
<br />tion system Improvements to
<br />1,528 acres of farmland, When .
<br />salinity reduction practices (SRP's)
<br />. are Installed and Irrigation water
<br />management Is applied, these sys-
<br />tems will provide an estimated
<br />1 ,484 tons annual salt load reduc-
<br />tion to the Colorado River system,
<br />
<br />Participants In the ceremony In-
<br />cluded Wilson Scaling, Chief, Soli
<br />Conservation Servlc:e; Vern Neppl,
<br />Associate Administrator,
<br />Agricultural Stabilization and
<br />, Conservation Service; Tom
<br />Holback, National Program
<br />Leader, Cooperative Extension
<br />Service; Howard A, Nielson, U. S,
<br />Congressman, Utah; Jack Barnett,
<br />Executive Director. Colorado River
<br />Salinity Control Forum; and Calvin
<br />Sudweeks, Director, Bureau of
<br />Water Pollution Control, Utah
<br />Department of Health.
<br />
<br />EIS Process - Big Sandy Unit,
<br />Wyoming
<br />
<br />On October 17, 1986, the
<br />Wyoming State Office of the SCS
<br />
<br />4
<br />
<br />announced Intentions to pf,/lpare
<br />an EnvlronmentE!llmpac:t Slate-
<br />ment on the Big 'sandy Unit of the
<br />Colorado River SallnllyCoritrol
<br />Program, Scoplngmeetlngswere'
<br />conducted In the project afea
<br />during October and Novenjber
<br />1986, Partlclpants'ln these meet.
<br />Ings Included the EPA, BLM, .
<br />Wyoming State Engineer's Pfflce,
<br />. WyomingDepartmEint of Edvlrori.
<br />mental Quality, Wyoming G,ame
<br />and Fish Department; and 'lind-
<br />owners from the project ar/la.
<br />Agencies cooperating In de\lelop- .
<br />ment of the EIS Included tHe' .
<br />AsCS,CES (Cooperative Exten'
<br />slon Service), Wyoming State .
<br />Engineer's Office, Wyoming'
<br />Department of Environmental
<br />Quality, Wyomlng'Game and Fish
<br />Department, and the WyomIng
<br />Conservation Commission,
<br />
<br />
<br />A preliminary draft EIS WIlS dl$- .
<br />trlbuted for review and comment.
<br />prior to developing Ihe draff. EIS.
<br />The formal draft EIS was dlil-
<br />trlbuted for review on FebrQ~ry27,
<br />. 1987, The.comment perlodiex.
<br />tended 15 days, c1psed on May
<br />12, 1987, After conslderatlo;f1and,
<br />Incorporation' ofthere.vlew 'corl1" .
<br />ments, the final EIS'Was dls' '
<br />trlbuted In late 1987,
<br />
<br />,"-<-,
<br />
<br />-,.-,
<br />'.
<br />
<br />
<br />. USDA Operating Procedures
<br />Workshops
<br />
<br />To Introduce USDA agenCY per-'
<br />sonnel to their dutljls and re~ponc
<br />slbllltles for program Implementa-
<br />tion, and to facilitate agency
<br />cooperation and coordination'
<br />during program Implementallon,
<br />the USDA jointly conducted Inter-
<br />agency workshops, Personl!lel at
<br />the project level were trained In
<br />agency duties and responSibilities
<br />as published In rules and reliiula.
<br />tlons and In USDA operating pro,
<br />cedures developed to guide
<br />
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