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USDA's Onfarm Irrigation improvement Program .... m (D o The SOli Conservation Service (SCS) of the U S Depanment 01 Agriculture (USDA) and Water and Power Resources Service are WOrking together to coordlnale the salinity control program In the ColoradO River Basm Each agency however, plans funds. and Implements liS own programs The COst-eflectlveness 01 the USDA on/arm program complements the cost- eltecllveness 01 Water and Power"s 011- larm programs In many cases. the on/arm conlrol measures cannOI work properly unless the ofl-farm measures are Implemented concurrently While there afe some localized dllferences. me salt removal potenllaI at onlarm programs IS similar 10 that of theoU-larm features For InStance. In Uinta BaSin, the on/arm program IS expectea to reduce the salinity at Jmperlal Dam by at 1eaSfs mg'L while IheO'fnarm program -.IS antlclpaled to reduce gllinlt)',j!02utL mg L USDA's onfarm Ifrlgatlon Improve- ment prOgram IS now unaerway With two Title IllrflgatlOn source units In opera- lIOn Grana Valley In CoIoraao and Uinta BaSin In Utah The follOWing prOVides a bnef status of USDA s aCllvltles Installallon of onlarm salinity conlrol measures and associated lateral Im- provements In Grand Valley began in fiscal year 1979 when Congress recommended th<~t tt::l~ Agricultural Stabilization anq C;::onservatlon SerVice (ASCS) use Sl 7 m.JULon 01 ItS fl.gricultural Conservation Program (AGPl1u.nds.ettlu.s.lv~JYJor cost-sharln9 PL~_gl.ce~U_or saliMI' Control In Grane!- Valley -Additionally, Con~j[es.s_recQIJ1- mended that the $C_S.J,J~fl. S1 7(tOO.Q 01 its Conservat~eeratl~n IU.Q.dS. fQi.J_he tectloical as~!..stance _needed to desl9f) ~nd In,itan_t_he pracllces In fiscal years 1-980 and 1981. Congress recommended USDA continue thiS activity at tne same annual funding level During FY 1980 USDA prOVided assistance to a total of 380 farmers 'n Grand VallE'y Including Inlllallng Irriga- tion water 'Tlanagement for 3,329 acres Some 140 farmers completed one or more practices during that time The malor practices Installed and cost shared In FY 1980. and tne tOlallo date 11979 and 1980) '" lhe Grand Valley are listed belov. ".'" Tol."O " ,~ . ~ ~ , -.. " )J<' " J" 5" ~'l n~' "&'J " ;-, ~ " <]' " " '. " "" ..;:~ ".- ,.'e', -,~'" '.t""., " _,"<'Co',..",,," ,-:",~,: p,D"""~' .",~ -..~ .,- ,~,.,-. .,,,~-- ". ,_.,~, '. 1_"0, . ~"" . A Significant difference to trad<tlOnal programs IS IheemphaSlson automation of surlace Irrigated systems In the Grand Valley The automation 01 surface Irrigated systems permits Irrigation water to be automatically changed from one set to the next. uSing timed controls on valves and check gates ThiS means the Irrrgator does not ellen need to be on site when the water IS changed Implementation Of these types of systems do. howeller. reqUire a more sophisticated approach to deSign to accomodate the changes Although rellablJlty problems halle been ex- peflenced With timers and Olher In- novatllle equipment. lomt elforts by tarmers and USDA personnel are effec- tively resolVing these concerns The automation of surface Irrigation systems has a two-fold benefit It saves the larmer preCIOUS time and It allows changing irrigation selsal the fight lime to avOid overwalermg With Its allendant salt loading of Ihe Colorado Allier SpeCial allentlon IS being given to protecting and enhancmg the envI- ronmental values In the Valley Plan- nmg has been mltlaled on live onfarm Wildlife dellelopments Practices planned Include pondS, tree plantlngs, tood plots. fenc,ng and grass seedmg The practicabIlity 01 level basm irriga- tion m the Grand Valley IS also under study Alralla com and small grains and field crops common to Grand Valley have been produced on lhe baSins Because of encouraging researCh results through USDAs SCience and EducatiOn Administration. several small level baSins. about 12 acres total_ halle been Installed by a group of local farmers With assistance from USDA S onfarm Improvement program In Uinta Basin. SCS Increased me f'eld staff from 5 to 16 people A biOlogist on assignment from FISh and Wildlife Service has been added to Ine USDA plannmg staff to help prOVide lechnlcal assistance for planning deSigning, mstallatlOn. and tollowup for wlldlde development practices assOCiated w!1h the ontarm Irngatlon Improvements - Implementation of nnfilrm salinity control measures In Uinta Basm was initiated In FV 1980 With S2 million In AS:P funding SCS prOlllded technical asslslance 10 some 119 farmers on 6,028 acres The partlclpatmg farmers earned a total 01 S678,loo m FY 1980 for Installing 154.509 flneal feet of Plpelmes_ 16235 lineal leet 01 gated pipe. 30 Slde- rolt sprrnkler systems. 6 ponds. ane! 11 pumps and levelmg 33 acres of land The balance of the fundS Will be earned during Ihe sprrng Of 1981 apPlYing Similar practices along With Wildlife related practJces USDA salin III' control studies are_ n~arly completed m the Lower Gunnison BaSin in Colorado Virgin River '" Nevada, Anzon;" and Utah; BIQ Sandy -River BaSin in Wyoming: and McElmo Greek In Colorado In the Lower Gunnison Basin. eight alternative plans have been developed by USDA for salinity control These plans prOVide for salt reductions ranging from 65.000 to 420,000 tons per year A pubhc InvOlvement effort IS underway In an allemptto Idenllfy the pre!erred alternative The Virgin River has been diVided Into three separate study areaS-the Moapa Valley Virgin Valley and Upper Virgin River subevaluatlon unils A draft USDA Implementation plan was prepared 'or some 5.000 irrigated acres In Moapa Valley The estimated dlstflbutlon dale for the reporllS March 1981 The USDA report on the Big Sandy River Unit was distributed in January. 1981 bullmplementatlon IS being deferred pending a searCh for cost elfectlve alternatives that protect ex- Isting water uses and lifestyles USDA will be worl<.lng With personnel tram the State 01 Wyoming and the Water and Power Resources Serv,ce In lormulatlng additional alternatl~e plans and supply- Ing pertinent informatIOn developed dUring Its onfarm studies USDA will analyze the Inventory data on McElmo Creek In t"e next sox months Water and sail budgets also Will be prepared Th~dralt USDA sludy ~ IS expected by September 30. 1981 -