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<br />the SCS to identify those laterals
<br />that have already been improved.
<br />. Since these la.terals already meet
<br />Dear Editor: salinitY.control specifications, there
<br />is no need for them to be included in
<br />Soon all our problems will be further salinity control programs.
<br />eliminated! - .,' 'Furthermore, since these'laterals
<br />Increase on the cigarette tax will have already been improved, there
<br />eliminate cancer and heart attacks. is no need to rip them out a.nd
<br />Increase in gasoline tax will elimi- replace them with a duplicate BYS.
<br />nate car' wrecks. Increased tax on _tern. as the Federal Government
<br />liquor will eliminate_ .alcholics. currently suggests doing with their
<br />Inere... in property tali willelimi-. plans to. plac~ aU laterals in Pipe.
<br />nate the luxuty '1tiving in your own And finaUy, the privately owned lat-
<br />home, '.,. .. .':' . . .,-.V erals that have been improved are
<br />,'.Increase in. M~..BeU's riltesivill already being maintained and run
<br />eliminate those,oidixed incomes by their-Jndividual owners at the
<br />contaCt: c-with,~'.iile: outside world. owners.'::expens'e; there is no need for
<br />,. Incre.... in ... insurance rates will the Federal Government to expend
<br />eliminate the'puieh... of the slUlle; .public'iriQney and public resourCes
<br />h08pitaIB elil1\itUite those from their ,to take the maintenance of these lat-
<br />service-Who d()'~ot;'haviJt":' >~~\;'.:,-~~,. :erals over.
<br />. COffee. going up $3,50. per pclund. 2, TIur Department of the Interior
<br />will .eliminatecoffee junkies..Our and. t!;le SCS can then approach
<br />ri,h~ -t9":vote on ~ i~ues 'ttaa~~~ " those iiirallateral owners who have
<br />ehmlnated.' The ~envlronmenWiMB :not. iiilproved their ditches. and
<br />have eliminatediobs alid the fear of offer them 100 percent subsidies to
<br />AIDS ':will elimate .t>niIJ!\ialil1ous . bring them up to salinity control
<br />. .ex in tumelimlnating.bortiori and specifications. If the owners of the
<br />. unwed mOther."on welfare, Soon the laterals were to know that they
<br />peOple will be eliminated! They ,,:ill faced condemnation of their laterals
<br />be foree to migrate to other,co!,nt,es or salinity discharge penalties if
<br />and .states. Grand JunctIon may . their laterals weren't improved,
<br />,.'weUbethe"hananabelt";but,th08e ;they most likely would accept the
<br />. 'L' ,,~bana,nail~.doilj!!t;;feed:;.theh'."'~;";Dejmliiinent of Interior's officer
<br />..: ,'.'.'.....".....'."'.. . .~n1~.proeess. of ehmma-." 'th 1a.'ty -
<br />::~~~~/'<-;-t:;~'-':~~' ~..", -:C" d.th. Sta. to f WI a erl. .
<br />,.."X",.wvn".. ,.. . .yan. eo. 3. For' urban owners wbo use
<br />. Colorado could save a .bundle Grand .Valley Irrigation Company
<br />',~" >_":-~,~i .' '_:':''''1~LOIS: AMELANG water for non. farming purposes, we
<br />G' ""d.,qJ..'. . t'". ... suggest that the Department of
<br />ran - unc IOn.-",. ,'- I' k' h th 't'
<br />t:', ~.' "-.:,::"I'fi,~+~f1f,l~:~-> ',':,:. ntertor, wor Wit e Cl 1.es
<br />>I~~)~~K):-"",:, ~'-~~-'_':!:-!i " "~ ,;' involved, or work to create speClal
<br />..." "":"C"';"::'d" ~ff'"'''' --,.k::*.'d.... ''''...- water conservancy districts which
<br />> cA.. I erent',. ea .. .. would include just tbat particular
<br />
<br />~':~"'~~i~~'t~~;;,~:;~\_ :'~:"_~ _,:,:,,_,,:,:,; urban,-area.
<br />'~;;;:':\-":;";:' _.,_.~,;~;'.. ,~;~~~~,;,-:f"- :-:.-..Jc'f~,'~' ,.:- II"Set up a Federal Program to
<br />'.' ,"",'We :would IIlle to put forward sov- permanently retire farm land from
<br />....al Ideas on. how the Fede~al production.
<br />?. Govermnent mIght app:oach salln- We feel that the Federal Govern-
<br />,:,_~~'. _~ity_:',coq~ro~s,}o,r',;the Irrigated l.and ment with their salinity controls is
<br />-..,;_{:.w:h.i~ti:{;,rec~v~~:;~~~r .fr~fi,1.._ the . creating a tension that will be unre.
<br />"':}}l'ilnd)Y,!lI1~yJrr~.gatlon~mpany. ' solvable, The Department of Inlo-
<br />We beheve.. tha;t.. these Ideas are rior, has a very clear goal In the
<br />worth:,!,<!,,ns\!l.ermg, ~cause. they Grand Valley with their salinity
<br />. __h~!d,th..!',~.u~e,of,solvmg~h~prob-- program; reduce the amount of salts
<br />IeJl1.ot.:~ncllmgf~rmers need~ to. going into the Colorado River. Their
<br />" OW..." 'a!kf.tcOnit~ t~elr .la~rals, With concern for the local farmers and
<br />.,'_ -,ttte?~e~l;~!r:n~~nts c.o.n~rn farmers' struggle to earn a living is
<br />",.,}l\:J tildil~e sal1'l'tY leVels in.~!go)<r. only secondary. On the other hand,
<br />.,I'j': "rido_RI~et:~ ..-''';\-, ~ ... - ~:'"", farmers a1so have a very clear goal:
<br />:::;,~~(~'-:E~'pa:r;d.f:;Jdsting SCS Pro- To make a living farming, in wha~
<br />~~m.8 for lining laterals, _or placing tever way the}' can. Their concern to
<br />i..- lateralsJn-;pipes;:- '___ .S::'.- -,,_ _";"~ ',,", . reduce salinity in the Colorado
<br />'-",; For,',:~:more 'than . fifteen;< years River to provide clean water f~r t~e
<br />larmers under the Grand -Valley Lower Basin States and MeXICO IS
<br />Canals ~'have been using the cost- only secondary.
<br />, sharing programs organized by the The Federal Government is going
<br />SCS to line their laterals and head to try a number of methods to
<br />'ditches.-with cement, or replace reduce salinity in the Grand Valley,
<br />- their laterals and head ditches with and ultimately the method with
<br />pipe. Many farmers have also used which they will be most pleased will
<br />their ,own funds to line laterals. As be the one which reduces salinity in
<br />of yet there are no official estimates the Colorado River by the greatest
<br />on the percentage of laterals under amount. And that is regardless of
<br />the Grand Valley Canals which the impact on farming practices.
<br />-~have been lined or placed,in pipe. We forsee a trend of events stretch.
<br />. but, fOf','50me farming areas"in the ing into the future, with the Depart-
<br />Fruita..Loma area, the figures ment of the Interior askin~ for and
<br />approaCh 1.. percent. '. ,(} receiving more and more control
<br />~:' I.:We suggest that the' Depart. ovcl"the way farmers manage their
<br />ment of Interior work together with irrigatinK water, until basically it
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<br />Tax. taXi tax.
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<br />proves impOSsible for farmers in the
<br />Grand Valley to farm and make a
<br />living.
<br />1. We would like to suggest that
<br />the Federal Government realize
<br />that their salinity reduction goals
<br />are ultimately incompatible with
<br />farminR' in the Grand Valley, and
<br />set up a prOR'ram where farmers are
<br />paid to retire their farm land from
<br />production, Cor all time. This pro-
<br />gram cO)lldeither be based on the
<br />Federal' Government.: buying the
<br />farmers' individual water shares, or
<br />buying the farmers' land.
<br />
<br />2. This program would .make far
<br />more economic sense.than the cur-
<br />rent Federal program of improving
<br />canals and laera1s. Look, for exam-
<br />ple, .at the projected coats put
<br />together by the Department ofInto-
<br />rior, along with " the estimated
<br />reductions. in salinity.
<br />The Federal Government has esti~
<br />mated that farmers in the Grand
<br />Valley add 580,000 tons of salt
<br />yearly into the Colorado River. from
<br />their canals, laterals and fields. The
<br />Federal Government estimates that
<br />after - their proposed salinity con-
<br />trols for the canals and laterals are
<br />completed, they will reduce salt
<br />loading of the Colorado River by
<br />about 143,500 ton~ yearly. Tbis
<br />works out to be a reduction in salin.
<br />ity pollution from this area of only
<br />25 percent
<br />The Federal Government esti-
<br />mates that to achieve this 25 percent
<br />reduction of salinity pollution com-
<br />ingfrom theGrand'Valley, they will
<br />have to spend $200 million for
<br />around 70,000 acres of land. This
<br />figure is in 1984 dollars, before cost
<br />overruns. This works out at a base
<br />figure of $3,100 per acre of farm.
<br />land. And in fact. according to
<br />farmers in the Lama-Mack area
<br />where the Department of Interior
<br />recently installed trial salinity con.
<br />trois. the actual costs per acre is far
<br />in excess of $:1, 1 00. They say that the
<br />cosls' soared to approximat",!y
<br />$6,500 an acre.
<br />If the Federal Government would
<br />pay farmers $3.100 per acre or
<br />$6,500 per acre, or even $12.000 to
<br />retire farm land permanently from
<br />irrigated farming, they would
<br />achieve a higher reduction of salt
<br />loading per dollar than they plan to
<br />with their current program. There
<br />would be a 100 percent reduction of
<br />saline pollution from each acre of
<br />land retired Crom irrigating, and
<br />there would be no future mainte-
<br />nance costs to keep salinity control~
<br />going for that land,
<br />And with the money. the farmel
<br />cuuld move tu another Carming arc.,
<br />in the USA, i[ he desires tocontinUi:
<br />farminJ2;, to an area where he nee(:
<br />nol [ear any forms of governmen'
<br />control over his irrigatin~
<br />practices.
<br />(All figures on expenses of thl
<br />Federal Programs and targete{
<br />goals arc from a Summary Sheet
<br />Grand Valley Unit, Colorado Rive'
<br />Basin SalinitY' Control Project
<br />dated 'Noveniber1985, and th,
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