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<br />C>J <br />C\I <br />'l:1' <br />-. <br /> <br />,... <br />,- <br /> <br />BUREAU OF RECLAMATION REPORT <br /> <br />by the Regional Salinity and Rubidoux Laboratory, United States Depart- <br />ment of A~iculture, the Green River water at the diversion site is of <br />excellent 'luality for irrigation purposes. Return flow water also will <br />be suitable for irrigation since it will have moved laterally through <br />non-saline soil and gravel without having entered the underlying shale. <br />Some biological treatment of culinary water by project farmers would no <br />doubt be re~uired. <br /> <br />Water Rights <br /> <br />Numerous rights have been established for use of water from the <br />Green Rivel:' and its tributaries above the potential diversion dam. These <br />right s were recognized in determining the flow available for the project. <br />A water right for the Seedskadee project can be obtained under Wyoming <br />State law. Return flows and tributary inflows below the project would <br />satisfy all existing downstream rights. <br /> <br />Lands <br /> <br />Topography, Soils, and Drainage <br /> <br />Lands in the pl:'oject area lie on a series of benches or river <br />terraces that are parallel to either Green River or Big Sandy Creek. <br />The benches slope gently toward the streams and the different benches <br />are separated by steep slopes. Natural drains intersect the benches <br />at fre~uent intervals and discharge into the river or creek. SUrface <br />soils are underlain by 5 to 20 feet of porous river sands and gravels <br />which are in turn underlain by impervious or slightly pervious sand- <br />stone or shale. The impervious layers lie nearly parallel to the sur- <br />face. Thus the deep-percolating water from irrigation is expected to <br />travel through the coarse sands and gravels over the impervious strata <br />and appear in the natural drains and the artificial drains that would <br />be installed as a part of project development. Soils in the area have <br />developed from alluvial material under the influence of a semiarid cli- <br />mate. The soils of the higher benches are calcareous and generally have <br />a lime acc1.Ullulation in the subsoil as a result of redistribution of cal- <br />cium carbonate by water from precipitation. The soils of the lower <br />benches are of more recent alluvial deposition and the lime accumula- <br />tions are not so pronounced as on older and higher benches. Salinity <br />and alkalinity are prOblems only in lower areas which receive soluble <br />salts leached from the higher benches. Most of the bottom lands, how- <br />ever, would be excluded from project development. <br /> <br />Land Classification <br /> <br />A detailed land classification survey was made to determine <br />irrigable areas, proper land use, size of farm units, and payJDent <br /> <br />8 <br />