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1972.!/ Based on study findings presented in the report, Public Law 92-577 of October 27, 1972, authorized the Bureau to conduct feas i- bi1ity studies on improving and extending the Uncompahgre Project facilities. Proposed extension of the project formed the basis for a separate feasibility study on the potential Dominguez Reservoir develop- ment on the Gunnison River downstream from the Uncompahgre Project. The Uncompahgre Project Improvement studies began in December 1973 and were concluded in April 1977 when findings indicated that the improve- ment plans could not be economically justified under existing criteria. The objectives outlined for the improvement could only be partially met by the Lower Gunnison Basin salinity control unit described in this report, and as a result, the Uncompahgre Project R&B Program was inves- tigated as a possible means of satisfying needs other than salinity reduction. Uncompahgre Project Rehabilitation and Betterment (R&B) Program In 1979, at the request of the Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association, the Bureau began a detailed study of the Uncompahgre Project facilities to determine the extent and nature of needed improvements. The study has been completed and a draft special report prepared. A final report will accompany the Bureau's request for R&B funds for the Uncompahgre Project. Improvements to be made under the R&B program would meet the former Uncompahgre Project improvement objectives other than salinity reduction, as well as provide further opportunities for water conservation. The R&B program has been coordinated with the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit investigation and the programs supplement one' another. District costs associated with the R&B program and operation and mainten- ance costs for the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit will not exceed the repayment capacity of the water users. Soil Conservation Service studies The Soil Conservation service (SCS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is charged with studying potential for on-farm irriga- tion improvements for salinity control in the Lower Gunnison Basin. Coordination of SCS and Bureau of Reclamation activities was accomplished through the planning team established for the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit study and directed by the Bureau. The scope of the SCS study was limited to analyzing current on-farm irrigation systems and practices on about 107,000 acres of irrigated land and 320 miles of off-farm canals and laterals. Results of these analyses were expanded to be representative of spproximate1y 171,000 acres of irrigated land and about 495 miles of off-farm canals and laterals. The SCS study area for the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit includes major portions of Montrose, Delta, Gunnison, and Ouray Counties. (This study did not include the Uncompahgre Project canals and laterals which were the focus of the Bureau's off-farm study.) 1/ U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Region 4. Uncompahgre Project, Colorado, Special Report on Need for Improvement and Extension; January 1972. 3 ro"'"r" ..) ....hi.,)