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<br /> <br />UPPER BASIN: <br /> <br />Feds Agree to Move Toxic <br />Pile, Give Indians land <br />The DepanIllenr of Energy (DOE) <br />has agreed to rake responsibility for a <br />10.5 million ton pile of radioacrive <br />uranium tailings that sits 011 the banks <br />of the Colorado River near Moab, Utah, <br />The DO E now plans (0 move the 130- <br />acre pile from its current location to a <br />desert plateau 18 miles away. This plan, <br />which requires congressional approval, <br />replaces an earlier proposal to place an <br />earthen cap OV('[' the pile and leave it <br />where it is. <br />Conramin:lIHS from the pile have <br />been lcaching into the Colorado River <br />for years, raising concerns from some <br />downstream users about water quality, <br />health ramifications and impacts to <br />wildlife from the waste. Reporcs are that <br />dlC Clinton administration plans to <br />parrially fund the clean-up process with <br />revenues obtained from oil and gas <br />devdopmenc on 80,000 acres of federal <br />land set to be returned to the Northern <br />Ute tribe in Utah. Estimates to move the <br />tailings pile have been as high as $300 <br />million, <br /> <br />More Fish ladders Proposed <br />to Help Endangered Fish <br />The federal government is consider- <br />ing building additional fish ladders at <br />sites along the Upper Colorado River to <br />;lid in restoring endangered fish popula- <br />tions. One planned project is (() <br />construct a fish ladder, similar to the one <br />installed at the Redbnds Diversion Dam <br />on the Gunnison River, at the Highline <br />Diversion D;1I11 (also known as the <br />Roller Dam) on the Colorado River near <br />Grand Junction, Colo. Cost estimates <br />for the project hover around the $3,4 <br />million l11~ulc Another fish ladder has <br />been proposed for the Grand Valley <br />Projecr Diversion Dam near Coli bran, <br />Colo, Both projects are intended to help <br />restore dwindling populations of <br /> <br />endgangerd Colorado River fish by <br />opening up miles of river habitat <br />currently obstructed by dams. . <br /> <br />LOWER BASIN: <br /> <br />Plan to Save Salton Sea <br />Released <br />An 18-momh long DE1RJEIS to <br />come up with a fix for the Salton Sea has <br />been released in draft form for public <br />comment, The 7.5 million acre-feet sea <br />is in a state of decline, suffering from <br />periodic bird and fish die-of[~, and high <br />salinity - 25 percent higher than the <br />Pacific Ocean, The swdy was prepared <br />by the Bureau of Reclamation, the <br />Department of the Interior and the <br />Salton Sea Authority. <br />The DEIRlEIS offers five alternatives <br />for reducing the salinjty level of the sea <br />ranging frorn diking off a portion of the <br />sea to create an evaporation pond, to <br />pumping salty water Out the sea and into <br />the air. One alternative will be tested <br />under a pilot program, Officials will <br />spray water into collection basins and <br />use evaporation towers to assist in <br />removing water from the basins so that <br />salt can be colleered. <br />Costs for the flve alternatives range <br />from $319 million to $542 million. <br />Funding for the pilot program is being <br />met through federal appropriations <br />totaling approximately $S.5 million, <br />The 0 EIRJEIS also calls for immediate <br />actions such as cleaning dead fish from <br />around the shoreline; fish harvesting to <br />reduce overpopulation; improving <br />recreation opportunities; and more studies. <br /> <br />Irrigation District Has New <br />Crop: Endangered Fish <br />Under a one-year pilot project, <br />southern California's Imperial Irrigation <br />District will be parent to 1,500 bony tail <br />chub fingerlings, Once matured, the fish <br />will be reintroduced into Lake Havasu <br />in Parker, Ariz, lID has been using the <br />ponds to raise triploid grass carp, a <br /> <br />sterile fish which the district uses to keep <br />is 1,600 miles of canals free of the <br />aquatic weed hydrilla, Though once a <br />prolific fish in the Colorado River, the <br />number of bony tails has been cut <br />dramatically because of altered hydro- <br />logic conditions on the river and the <br />introduction of non-native fish. Scien- <br />tists working on the program say that <br />the warm weather will allow the fish to <br />grow much more quickly than they <br />would in many other fisheries around <br />(he southwest. Provided (he project goes <br />well, lID could raise more of the <br />bony tail in the future, <br /> <br />Proposal on Table to Build <br />Mexico-US Canal <br />An IS-month, $3 million study is <br />underway to determine the feasibility of <br />building a canal for delivering Colorado <br />River water to San Diego and Tijuana, <br />Mexico, The majority of the money, <br />$2.5 million, will come from the state of <br />California with the remaining $500,000 <br />coming from San Diego County water <br />bills, If the project were to be built, costs <br />would be split between the two coun- <br />tries, depending on how much water was <br />used by each party. Mexican officials say <br />that the existing Mexican aqueduct will <br />not hold enough water to meet their <br />anticipated population boom by 2004. <br />San Diego also is expected to consume <br />all of its current Colorado River supply <br />by 2008, . <br /> <br /> <br />GetYour - <br />Colorado River Facts <br />Slidecard! <br /> <br />'X!INTER 2000 . RIVER REPORT . COLORADO RIVER PROJECT . 3 <br />