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. SUMMARY Introduction The Dirty Devil River Unit of the Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program (CRWQIP) would collect saline surface and ground water within the project area and dispose of it in isolated geologic formations in Emery and Wayne Counties in southern Utah. The unit would improve water quality by deep-well injecting 20,900 tons of salt per year at an annual cost effectiveness of $97 per ton of salt removed. Deep- well injection would be conducted at two sites--Hanksville Salt Wash and Emery South Salt Wash. Before the recommended plan could be implemented, however, a water right for the deep-well injection must be obtained from the State of Utah. The State has expressed concern regarding the water rights issue associated with the unit. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), in response to the Colorado River Basin States' recommen- dation, is issuing this planning report and deferring further studies until some resolution of the water rights issue is achieved. The Basin States will explore possible means of addressing the water rights issue. . Planning studies on the Dirty Devil River Unit were conducted in accordance with the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of June 24, 1974 (Public Law 93-320, as amended by Public Law 98-569 on October 30, 1984), and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of October 1972 (Public Law 92-500), as amended by the Clean Water Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-217). The Salinity Control Act originally authorized the unit for study as part of a basinwide program of works for the enhance- ment and protection of the quality of water available in the Colorado River for use in the United States. Unit studies included determining the salt-loading mechanisms, iden- tifying potential beneficial uses of saline water, evaluating alterna- tives, and selecting a recommended plan. Reclamation studies and field investigations indicate two geologic formations, the Mancos Shale and Carmel Formations, contribute signifi- cant quantities of salt to the Dirty Devil River drainage. The Carmel Formation is the salt source in Emery South Salt Wash and Hanksville Salt Wash. The saline springs feeding the washes probably result from water percolating from the underlying Navajo Sandstone aquifer through the salt-bearing Carmel Formation and emerging to the surface through fractures. Reclamation studies on the unit have concentrated on reduc- ing salt loading through collecting saline spring water and disposing of it through deep-well injection. . A draft environmental assessment for the unit was issued for public review on October 30, 1985. The assessment evaluated the potential environmental impacts of collecting saline surface and ground water and injecting it into a deep, isolated geologic formation in the unit area. A Finding of No Significant Impact was approved July 24, 1986. S-l 0023Cl9