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<br />Plan Eight - Irrigation Water Management and Onfarm Ditch Lining - Maximum <br />Level - Valleywide <br /> <br />The plan assumes implementing irrigation water management and onfarm <br />ditch lining at the maximum level on all irrigated land in the Lower Gunnison <br />Unit except that lining the small off-farm laterals in Watershed 24 which are <br />not needed as an integral part of the onfarm improvements and large off-farm <br />laterals in Watershed 5, 7, 8, and 25 which are not cost effectivet and, hence, <br />are not included. <br /> <br />The plan achieves the maximum potential salt load reduction and has overall <br />economic feasibility based on total benefits although not all watersheds are <br />individually feasible. Included in this plan are 109 miles of off-farm laterals, <br />the estimated amount needed to assure proper operation of the improved onfarm <br />systems. <br /> <br />The onfarm portion of this plan can be implemented at a one-time construction <br />cost of $240,500,000. Technical assistance and administrative costs, estimated <br />to be $48,100,000, make a total installation cost of $288,600,000. Including <br />100 miles of off-farm lateral improvements ad4s $19,500,000 to the construction <br />cost and $3,900,000 to the cost of technical assistance and administration <br />making a total installation cost of $312,000,000. <br /> <br />The 370,000 ton reduction in salt loading represents an 84 percent reduction <br />in total salt load being delivered to the river. Adding the off-farm laterals <br />to this plan will increase the potential salt load reduction by 50,000 tons <br />making a total of 420,000 tons. <br /> <br />Implementation of this plan could impact an estimated 13,200 acres, or about <br />35 percent, of wetlands in the Lower Gunnison Basin Unit. Full mitigation for <br />the impacted habitat, 'estimated to cost $44,100,000, could require upgrading <br />the habitat value on the 18,300 acres of wetlands elsewhere in the valley <br />otherwise undisturbed by implementing this plan plus developing new wetland <br />habitat on 3,700 acres elsewhere. <br /> <br />Additional Alternatives <br /> <br />Categorical retirement of 12,000 acres of irrigated land in the <br />valley, first suggested by the USBR at a public meeting, was eliminated from <br />further consideration because of opposition by the local people. Agriculture <br />is the major economic force in the valley and a land retirement alternative <br />suggests the complete loss of this sector of the economy. <br /> <br />Selective retirement of irrigated land is an option for use with the other <br />alternatives. However, specific areas to be retired have not been identified <br />at this stage of planning. Criteria for selective land retirement include <br />salinity contribution, cost of onfarm and off-farm improvements relative to <br />land values, crop yields, and suitability of retired land as a replacement for <br />lost wetlands. Site specific recommendations for land retirement will be made <br />during detailed planning for implementation when actual costs of improvement <br />can be compared with current land values and onfarm benefits,' <br /> <br />IV-18 <br />