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<br />to <br />'1'-1 <br />c'/ <br />N <br /> <br />be understood that measures ~ust be taken to restrict pollution of an <br />organic, settleable s0lids, or dissolved solids nature, which will be <br />characteristic of the industry. <br /> <br />Mineral pollution of the White River is caused by runoff from highly <br />saline areas and by mineral springs. Under the Project area lies an <br />artesian aquifer bearing a warn mineralized water which alla,ws seepage <br />of highly saline wate.r to the surface. Piceance Creek Basin, which is <br />located 25 miltS below Meeker, is an example of such an area. Field <br />reconnaissance to the basin showed thdt at times the flow from Piceance <br />Creek has a TDS ranging frc~ 3,500 to 7,000 mg/l. Samples from wells <br />in the basin reveal that the TDS is often as high as 3,400 mg/I. A <br />number of oil wells have pen,etrated this artesian aquifer and have <br />later been abandoned. An effort has been made to seal some of these <br />wells but the effectiveness of these measures is questionable. It is <br />necessary to plug these wells in the impervious strata just above the <br />aquifer or else the saline water will recharge a permeable strata nearer <br />the surface and eventually pollute surface waters. An example of a <br />polluting saline source is Meeker Spring. * <br /> <br />Meeker Spring, located on the White River four miles east of Meeker, <br />discharges approximately 160 tons of TDS per day into the river. With <br />this load and with the mean discharge of 628 cfs of the White River at <br />Meeker, the TDS concentration of the White River is increased 95 mg/l <br />at Meeker. The damage to present and potential water users caused by <br />this type of pollution is as r"al as any biodegradable pollution. <br /> <br />Agricultural activity of the proposed project was considered as a <br />possible source of TDS pollution. The problem was approached on two <br />bases co give a likely range in which the ac tual TDS value will fall. <br />The first method termed as "one t.) one salt balance" gives the lower <br />limit and considers only the salts applied to the field during irrigation. <br />All of these salts ar.d "nl~ thes(o salts are removed via irrigation re- <br />turns. In usi.ng the one tc, one salt balance, the TDS concentration will <br />increase due to evaporatim and transpiration losses; however, no increase <br />in the total load will result. The second approach is much more realistic <br />and gives the upper li:nit ,)f TDS pollution. This method, referred to as <br />"leaching conditions," takes into account that leaching of native minerals <br />from the irrigated lands will occur. This results not only in a 'IDS <br />ccncentration increase but also in a total salt load increase. <br /> <br />The TDS <br />gated acre. <br /> <br />pickup due to leaching <br />This figure is arrived <br /> <br />is estlll,ated to be two tons per <br />at by considering two factors. <br /> <br />irri- <br />The <br /> <br />'''This is not an actual spring but has recently been identified by local <br />residents as an abandoned well and thus is classified as an industrial <br />source ocf pollution. <br />