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<br />.~ <br />~ <br />o <br />o <br />o <br />~ constructed above the canal section to prevent runoff from entering or <br />damaging the canal. Some existing cross-drainage features would be <br />enlarged. A field station would be constructed as part of the Stage One <br />development for use as a construction headquarters and permanent oper- <br />ating facilities for the entire unit. Irrigation Management Services <br />was implemented in the valley in 1974 and will be continued with emphasis <br />on the Stage One area. <br /> <br />. . <br /> <br />Construction of Stage One WSI would require approximately 11,000 <br />cubic yards of concrete aggregate, 22,000 cubic yards of road gravel, <br />and 70,000 cubic yards of fine-grained earth material for canal back- <br />fill and detention dam construction. These materials are readily avail- <br />able in the valley and the required amounts are insignificant with <br />respect to the available supply. Road gravel and concrete aggregate <br />would be acquired from existing commercial operators. The earth material <br />would come from borrow areas immediately north of the Government Highline <br />Canal. About 50 acres would be required to meet the needs of Stage One. <br /> <br />To compensate for wildlife habitat losses, approximately 280 acres <br />of suitable land would be acquired and initially developed for habitat <br />value and wildlife support, and a watering pond would be constructed <br />above the Government Highline Canal to replace wildlife watering oppor- <br />tunities to be lost with fencing of the canal. Development of the <br />acquired lands would include fencing, signs and boundary markers, water <br />developments, food plots, woody plantings and herbaceous seedings, and <br />vegetation manipulation. The amount of land to be acquired was deter- <br />mined as a direct function of the percentage of unit agricultural lands <br />to te served in Stage One. The amount of land to be acquired for Stage <br />One compensation is 10 percent of that suggested by the Fish and Wildlife <br />Service for compensation of total WSI impacts on wildlife populations <br />and hunting. <br /> <br />Contracts are currently being negotiated to provide for operation <br />and maintenance of Stage One facilities in accordance with the intent of <br />the project to reduce salinity in the Colorado River. The Grand Valley <br />'~ater Users Association would continue to administer the facilities <br />improved by the Stage One development. The Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />would administer the area acquired for wildlife habitat. <br /> <br />Detailed monitoring of the Stage One impacts on ground water and <br />water quality is possible because of the Reed Wash Study area which <br />partially overlaps the Stage One area (see Stage One map). The study <br />area is bordered by shale ridges to the east and the west which prevent <br />outside ground water flows from entering the aquifer underlying the <br />study area. Sixty-three of the 236 ground water observation wells in <br />the monitoring program are located in the study area. Water levels and <br />temperatures of the wells are measured monthly and water samples analyzed <br />for electrical conductivity and pH. Samples are sent quarterly to the <br />USBR laboratory in Salt Lake City to be analyzed for 8 major ions, whose <br />distribution give a reliable picture of water source and travel. Six <br />gaging stations have been installed to measure surface flows at various <br />