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a ...... -...J LJ 2 Nonooint.source Salinity Control The BLM field office; will continue to use a watershed lUIalysi, approach on priority watersheds to help identify additional nonpoint-source control opportunities. The focus will be on the following activities: . Prevent gully incision and channel erosion in marine geologic fonnations. . Install grade-centro I StnJctUres (gully plugs) and retention/detention Structures to trap sediment and salt and to encourage channel aggradation on headwater tributaries. . Promote :;cience activities, in ("..Qllahoration \Vith others, that wi,1I1ead to a petter understanding of salt dynamics within alluvial deposits. including salt distribution and movement and downstream transport The greatest salt retention benefits, 10 tenns of preventing future salt loading from 8L.\.1:- . administered public lands, will be achieved through land management practices that minimize disturbances to soils and stream channels, repair and restore disturbed lands, and protect critical water~hed areas Structural solutions will be utilized where appropriate. The BLM is in the process of developing terrain lUIalysis tool, linked tD geographic information systems (GIS) that may .provide a more effective site-selection process for nonpoint.source control projects. We will test those tools in a high-priority (highly-saline) watershed beginning in 2003. We would be pleased to brief the salinity working group on these ideas at a future meeting. \Vildlife and Dome$tic Livestock For all future salinity control projects, the BLM will ascertain the associated benefits to wildJue and domestic livestock. However, we question your statement at the bottom of page 5 about the "role of livestock v. the impact of wildlife (deer, elk, burros, e1c.) also needs 10 be examined." This issue was studied extensively in the 1970', IUId 1980's IUId a large body ofliterature W8S produced. If legitimate t~chnic:aJ questions still f".xist, we recommend the working group identify specific research needs. Evaluatine: Si\linitv Control Measures The report refers to the perceived need for adding a specific criterion for evaluating salinity eontrol to the BLM's land pllUlning process Since the mid-1970's, the BLM has incorporated water quality criteri.. including all pertinent Stale IUId Federal water quality standards, into its pllUlning process. In the past we have identified high-priority watersheds using soil s81inity as a criterion. We also rely on the State-by-Stale Phase I watershed salinity mapping results