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<br />. <br /> <br />. ~ <br /> <br />.~ <br />r'~ <br />.. <br /> <br />SJMNARY <br /> <br />During Nov~mber 1967 the Federal Water Pollution Control Administra- <br /> <br />tion made funds available for Water Quality Research-D~onstration Proj- <br /> <br />ects and requested the Bureau of Reclarration to select pilot projects to <br /> <br />test various salinity control methods and demonstrate reduction of the <br /> <br />salinity concentration and load in the Colorado River system. The plug- <br /> <br />ging of two flowing wells, the Meeker and the Piceance Creek wells, near <br /> <br />Meeker, Colorado, was selected as a pilot project. The Meeker and Pice- <br /> <br />ance wells discharged about 3 second-feet of 19,200 parts per million <br /> <br />(57,000 tons per year) and 0.3l6 second-foot of 17,800 parts per million <br /> <br />(5,500 tons per year) water, respectively, to the White River system or <br />, <br /> <br />about 19 percent of the annual salinity load contributed by the \-Ihite <br /> <br />River to the Colorado River system. <br /> <br />The Willard Pease Drilling Com~~y started work July 24, 1968, and <br /> <br />completed plueging the Meeker well 'lith barite and cement slurries on <br /> <br />August 3, 1968, and the Piceance Creek well with cement slurry August 9, <br /> <br />1968. <br /> <br />Closing of the Meeker well reduced the sodium and chloride concen- <br /> <br />tration of the 'White River by over 50 and 75 percent, respectively, at <br /> <br />the Geological Survey gage below Meeker. Closil~ of the Piceance Creek <br /> <br />well decreased the sodium, bicarbonate, and chloride conccntration of <br /> <br />Piceance Creek over lO percent at the mouth of Piceance Creek, 13 miles <br /> <br />dOlffistream from the, welL The 'l.uality of the stre8.l'ls should continue to <br /> <br />improve until the irricztion water applied b8fore the closine; of the <br /> <br />vells has returned to the streams. <br />