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<br />L" <br />l.-" <br />C\! <br />C' <br /> <br />i.---' <br /> <br />CHAPTER I <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />,-. <br />'-. <br /> <br />Grand Valley Unit and three other units as the initial stage of the <br /> <br />Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Project. <br /> <br />The overall purpose of the Grand Valley Unit is to decrease salt <br /> <br />loading to the Colorado River from the Grand Valley Unit area. To <br /> <br />accomplish this salt reduction, a two-segment program is being conducted <br /> <br />by the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the Soil Conservation <br /> <br />Service (SCS). The water systems improvement segment is being directed <br /> <br />by Reclamation while the on-farm improvement portion, consisting of <br /> <br />upgrading irrigation systems and improving irrigation management, is <br /> <br />being conducted by SCS. <br /> <br />The SCS program is discussed subsequently in <br /> <br />this chapter. <br /> <br />As described in the 1980 Stage One Development, Grand Valley Unit <br /> <br />Definite Plan Report, development of the unit was planned in stages so <br /> <br />that construction could begin in a portion of the valley where plans and <br /> <br />designs were complete, where monitoring could be conducted to assess the <br /> <br />effects of initial development, and where environmental impacts would be <br /> <br />minimal. Planning on the remainder of the Grand Valley Unit could then <br /> <br />continue concurrently. <br /> <br />Stage One, encompassing about 10 percent of the <br /> <br />unit area, consisted of concrete lining 6.8 miles of canal, consolidating <br /> <br />34 miles of open laterals into 29 miles of pipe laterals, and installing <br /> <br />an automated debris collection structure and was essentially completed in <br /> <br />{ <br /> <br />April 1983. <br /> <br />The Stage Two area involves the remainder of the valley outside of <br /> <br />Stage One. <br /> <br />Planning investigations began in November 1981 and include <br /> <br />various hydrologic, engineering, and environmental studies as well as <br /> <br />formulation and evaluation of alternative plans. <br /> <br />2 <br />