Laserfiche WebLink
<br />This land to be irrigated by the Fruitland Mesa <br /> <br />Project has one of the lowest salinity effects of any project <br /> <br />now under consideration. <br /> <br />Furthermore, the Colorado River Basin <br /> <br />Salinity Control Project authorized by the Congress in 1974 and <br /> <br />The Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program authorized <br /> <br />by several Acts of Congress will more than offset any increases <br />in salinity that may be caused by the Fruitland Mesa and other <br /> <br />Upper Colorado River Basin projects under consideration. <br /> <br />ECONOMIC CONSIDERATION <br /> <br />The quality of hay and other crops produced at the <br /> <br />so called high altitudes of this project as demonstrated in <br />adjacent Gunnison County which is still higher, is far superior <br />in protein content food value than crops produced at lower <br /> <br />"I <br /> <br />altitudes. In fact, ranchers from lower altitudes are willing <br /> <br />to purchase hay raised at high altitudes at premium prices. <br /> <br /> <br />The benefit cost ratio of this plan at authorization <br /> <br />in 1964 was 2.1:.1. By the time the Definite Plan Report <br /> <br />. ' <br />was completed in June of 1967 the benefit cost ratio had <br /> <br /> <br />dropped to 1.52:1 and now is listed with the Bureau as .92:1 <br /> <br /> <br />as a result of inflation and the addition of features not <br /> <br />previously required to assure environmental quality. After <br />careful analysis, it appears that the construction estimates <br /> <br />are high. In addition, it also appears that projected bene- <br /> <br />fits in terms of agriculture are low. <br /> <br />In the March, 1977, Definite Plan Report for the <br /> <br />Fruitland Mesa Project, the direct irrigation annual benefit <br /> <br />-3- <br />