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... 4. Well ton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District (USDA) ~ USDA's involvement relates specifically to on-farm treatments and ~ water management improvements in the Well ton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage ~ District (WMIDD) in Yuma. Arizona. Any reduction of drainage return flows ('J would reduce the demands and costs of operating the desalting plant. By improving irrigation efficiencies, a reduction of deep percolation into ground water reduces the amount of drainage return flows leaving the 65,000 acre WMIDD. The SCS enters into contracts with eligible landowners and operators (cooperators) to install conservation practices that will directly contribute to the objectives of the program. The SCS contract provides for technical assistance and irrigation water management efficiency checks over a 2-year period after installation of the practices. The Wellton-Mohawk on-farm federal cost-sharing program was fully funded by Reclamation. Under authority of a Bureau of Reclamation and Soil Conservation Service Title I Memorandum of Agreement (December 1974), Reclamation reimbursed SCS for cost-sharing and technical assistance provided to individual participants through long-term contracts. The initial program for 23,800 acres was expanded during the annual renewal of the agreement in 1984 to 48,000 acres. This last renewal proviaed that all SCS contracting would be completed by September 30, 1985, and that all water management and salinity control land treatment practices would be installed by December 31, 1985. In 1985, 55 contracts were developed and signed covering 4,519 acres. Practices applied included 31 miles of ditch lining, 4,822 acres of laser land leveling, and 787 structures for water control and measurement. The SCS designed irrigation systems and assisted farmers in their installation to reduce irrigation return flow. As of January 30, 1986, 366 contracts had been developed for assistance on 48,195 acres, which exceeds the project goals. Since implementation of the Colorado River salinity program began in 1975, the irrigation return flows have been reduced about half or approximately 100,000 acre-feet. This has been accomplished through the installation of over 1,386,000 feet (262.6 miles) of concrete ditch linings, 44,724 acres of land leveling, and 10,635 water control structures in addition to a concerted effort to obtain irrigation water management (IWM) on all 48,195 planned acres. There remains 112 active contracts covering 13,541 acres for which additional rh~ activity will be carried out by the Well ton Field Office staff. All construction work has been completed and all payment applications and fina1 status reviews have been submitted during this final year of implerrentation. Federal costs were $2,426,879 ~TIile local individual farmer cost was $808,960. To date Federal cost for installation of all facilities has been $18,209,268. The scs will be conducting post-project studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the on farm treatment and water management improvements. VII-6 ...