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<br />. ~ <br />',J' <br /> <br />", <br /> <br />The Board is currently studying a four-mile section of the Highline <br />Canal for seepage losses and together with the Colorado River District <br />we are also studying the Salt Creek Drainage Basin near ~mck. The first <br />years record indicates a pick up of over 50,000 tons of salt per year. <br />When the canal and lateral lining is begun we will have two years <br />preconstruct ion salinity records to ascertain the effectiveness of the <br />salinity control measures. <br /> <br />. - <br /> <br />c.:.;) <br />..-1 <br /> <br />The Board is conducting four demonstration projects for automated <br />irrigation systems. They are: an automated timed gate and border <br />irrigation system, an automated pump back system and two drip irrigation <br />systems. These pilot projects wiltl demonstrate new and better water <br />management practices which can be used to reduce water applications and <br />fertilizer and improve crops. Because of reduced runoff and deep percolation <br />these systems will reduce the salt load to the river. It. is hoped that <br />they will become models of on-farm rehabilitation projects. Recognizing <br />the need for on-farm improvement as well as canal and lateral lining the <br />board is working to obtain funds for the on-farm phase of the salinity <br />control program. Our immediate objective is to obtain su.fficient <br />participating funds for a valley wide rehabilitation of the on-farm <br />irrigation systems. <br /> <br />U.S. Geological Survey <br /> <br />The main purpose of our involvement in the Grand Valley salinity control <br />project is to provide other working agencies with streamflow and water- <br />quality information needed to properly assess salt-load conditions in the <br />Colorado river as it flows through the valley. <br /> <br />To accomplish this mission, we are operating continuous-record inflow <br />gaging stations on the Colorado River, Plateau Creek, and Gunnison River, <br />and outflow stations on the Colorado River near the Colorado-Utah State <br />line. <br /> <br />In addition to those stations, we are operating gages on 7 tributaries <br />which show the contribution of salts to the Colorado River within the valley <br />proper: Lewis Wash, Orchard Mesa Drain, Leach Creek, Adobe Creek, Big Salt <br />Wash, Reed Wash, Salt Creek. <br /> <br />We are also operating other gages which were installed for purposes <br />of evaluating the effectiveness of proposed canal and on-farm improvement <br />projects in the Salt Creek Basin west of Grand Junction near Mack, Colo.: <br />Government I1ighline Canal, Lateral 48, Mack Wash, East Salt Creek, West <br />Salt Creek, and Badger Wash. <br /> <br />Five new gages are presently being installed in the Reed Wash area <br />for a Bureau of Reclamation study in that basin: 2 Kiefer Extension, <br />1 Reed Wash, I Government Highline Canal, and 1 Camp 7 Spillway to Highline <br />Lake. <br /> <br />Chemical-quality samples are obtained 4 times each year at most of those <br />sites mentioned to determine the chemical composition of the waters. <br /> <br />All the data being obtained is or will be published in parts 1 and 2 <br />of water resources data for Colorado, publications released annually by the <br />