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<br />with a maximum diversion of 717,148 acre-feet. Irrigation return flows are <br />collected in a 100-mile drainage system and returned to the river. <br /> <br />An investigation was made to find a way to reduce the salt loading to the <br />Colorado River from irrigation on the reservation. Studies indicated the <br />Reservation is not a contributor of salt to the river. A concluding report <br />was released in October 1979. <br /> <br />Lower Gunnison Basin Unit, Colorado <br /> <br />The Lower Gunnison Basin Unit is in west-central Colorado in the Lower <br />Gunnison River Basin of Delta and Montrose Counties. The Stage I area <br />under study is the Uncompahgre Valley. The Stage II area to be studied <br />later is centered around Hotchkiss. <br /> <br />The Uncompahgre River carries over 360,000 tons of salt from the study <br />area and flows into the Gunnison River, which in turn flows into the <br />Colorado River. The salt picked up from seepage resulting from conveyance <br />of water through unlined canals and laterals, onfarm sources, and seepage <br />resulting from conveyance of winter water results in an increase in salin- <br />ity at Imperial Dam of about 36 mg/L. SCS and Reclamation are coordinating <br />individual studies in the total salinity reduction effort. <br /> <br />The recommended plan calls for lining a total of about 254 miles of canals <br />and laterals, which would reduce the salt loading by 141,000 tons and the <br />salinity concentration at Imperial Dam by about 14 mg/L.1/ Winter flows <br />through the entire irrigation delivery system would be eliminated. The <br />total cost-effectiveness would be about $762,000 for each mg/L of salinity <br />reduction at Imperial Dam. <br /> <br />The Lower Gunni son Basin feas ibil ity report/draft envi ronmental statement <br />was completed in December 1982 and filed with EPA on January 4, 1983. <br /> <br />Uinta Basin Unit, Utah <br /> <br />Uinta Basin is located in northeast Utah, in Duchesne and Uintah Counties. <br />The Uinta Basin contributes about 450,000 tons of salt annually through the <br />Duchesne and Green Rivers. Return flows from 170,000 acres of irrigated <br />1 and account for approximately 240,000 tons of the salt contribution. <br /> <br />The ASCS (Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service) and SCS <br />(Soil Conservation Service) have continued to target areas in which <br />onfarm improvements are to be made. The planning report of Reclamation <br />is scheduled for completion in April 1984. The preferred plan for sys- <br />tems improvement (i n the reduced area from that described in the Status <br />Report), consisting of lining about 59 miles of canals and laterals, is <br />estimated to reduce salt loading by about 24,000 tons annually, with a <br />cost-effectiveness of about $900,900. <br /> <br />l/ Based on CRSS formula. Feasibility report shows 141,000 tons reduction, <br />15.2 mg/L reduction, and cost-effectiveness of $702,000. <br /> <br />xvi <br />