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<br />Plan 7 is recommended for implementation. Improvement of off-farm <br />laterals in addition to those needed for proper operation of the onfarm <br />improvements also is included. The implementation period should be 10 years <br />and program effectiveness should be evaluated at three-year intervals to <br />determine if the program is achieving the expected degree of salinity <br />reduction. <br /> <br />Implementation of plan 7 will reduce salt loading in the Colorado River <br />by 335,000 tons per year. The total installation cost including mitigation <br />is estimated to be $169,400,000. It is recommended that the federal govern- <br />ment share the construction cost at a rate not greater than 75 percent. At <br />75 percent cost-share the cost to the federal government is $137,885,000 <br />over the 10-year implementation period, consisting of $94,545,000 for <br />construction, $25,740,000 for administrative and technical assistance, and <br />$17,600,000 to mitigate the loss of habitat values. Annual levels of <br />funding needed throughout the implementation period are shown in Table VI-2. <br />The total cost to the local people is estimated to be $31,515,000 for <br />construction and $800,000 per year for operation, maintenance and replace- <br />ment after the program is fully implemented. <br /> <br />There are three primary USDA authorities through which the onfarm <br />improvements might be implemented. These are: <br /> <br />1. The Soil Conservation Act of 1935 (PL 46 - 74th Congress) <br /> <br />Under this authority and working mainly through local soil conservation <br />districts, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) helps individuals, groups, <br />municipal and county officials, and planning bodies to cope with problems of <br />erosion, water supply and disposal, improper land use, flooding and sedimen- <br />tation. Assistance rendered by SCS ranges from advice and consultation to <br />on-site technical assistance for preparing conservation plans; determining <br />where conservation practices are practical and necessary; designing, laying <br />out, and supervising installation of the practices; and checking and certi- <br />fying performance of the practices. Through the Agricultural Stabilization <br />and Conservation Service and the Agricultural Conservation Program, USDA <br />shares with the land users the cost of applying certain soil and water <br />conservation measures that emphasize conservation benefits of national <br />concern. <br /> <br />2. Federal Water pollution Control Act (PL 92-500, as amended by Sec. 35 of <br />the Clean Water Act -- PL 95-217) <br /> <br />Under this authority the Rural Clean Water Program helps to control <br />agricultural nonpoint sources of pollution. The Rural Clean Water Program, <br />a voluntary program for applying best management practices on privately <br />owned rural land in eligible project areas, is designed to reduce agricul- <br />tural pollutants thus improving water quality in rural areas to meet water <br />quality standards or goals. The program provides financial and technical <br />assistance to private landowners and operators. Financial assistance is <br />limited to 50 percent of the cost of applying Best Management Practices with <br />a maximum federal cost-share of $50,000 per participant. <br /> <br />4 <br /> <br />000859 ~' <br />