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f',:) w co r..:> The SCS provides program leadership for technical assistance to individual landowners and operators. Major services that the SCS provides include assisting Landowners in developing irrigation water management and salinity Control plans, designing and installing irrigation improvement practices, and subsequent water management follow-up assistance with indiviudal irrigators to improve irrigation application techniques and assure proper maintenance. Because of the many complexities associated with irrigation water management and salinity control, and because of the high level of technical expertise needed to assist individual landowners, the entire technical assistance program demands a substantial workforce of fully trained technicians. ..::'::;'.... ~~~~~~:f~f There also ueeds to be significant incentive for individual landowners to invest in sophisticated water management systems which essentially provide for off-site benefits to downstream users as opposed to providing major onfarm benefits. Because of the significant off-site or downstream benefits, a reasonable level of cost-sharing support is needed to encourage local .landowners to participate. Using existing ACP authorities, the ASCS provides cost-sharing for the installation of ,water management practices and related off-farm lateral distribution systems. Cost-sharing may be provided through annual practices or' through long-term agreements (cOlitracts) based upon complete onfarm water management and salinity control plans. I I Grand Valley, Colorado The Grand Valley project was initiated in 1979 as the first onfarm salinity control project in USDA. The implementation program is tailored to the USDA ,salinity control report, "Onfarm Program for Salinity'Control, Final Report of the Grand Valley Salinity Study," dated December 1977, and 'Supplement' No.1 issued in March 1980. ~~~~~~;r~:k ,The initial plan called for the treatment of approximately 53,000 acres with such things as: 1) irrigation system improvements like concrete lining, pipelines, gated pipe, measuring devices and water control structures; 2) land leveling for more uniform irrigation application; and 3) irrigation water management practices such as regulating the length of 'run, time of set,- flow rates, and frequency of irrigation necessary to reduce deep percolation. Supplement No. 1 also included provisions for limited improvements of off-farm lateral distribution systems which are important to the delivery of irrigation water to the onfarm irrigation systems. The design and construction of off-farm laterals are an integral part of the onfarm improvement program. Improvements and redesign of more efficient off-farm delivery systems have to be compatible with the location, elevation, and flow rates for onfarm irrigation systems. When fully implemented, the onfarm improvement program is estimated to reduce Colorado River salt loadings by 130,000 tons per year with an additional 100,000 tons per year being eliminated by related USDA off-farm lateral improvements. In 1932, SCS created an irrigation water management (IWM) specialist position to devote more attention to the onfarm IWM follow-up program. As irrigation systems are improved, it become'extremely critical that the farm operator (or irrigator) improve bis irrigation techniques and minimize deep percolation to fully achieve the salt load reduction objectives of the program. It is the continued operation and maintenance of onfarm irrigation systems and improved irrigation water management which work toward reducing deep percolation and subsequntly reduced salt loads to the Colorado River. . 14