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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />SUMMARY <br /> <br />The Palo Verde Irrigation District (PVID) investigation in southeastern <br /> <br /> <br />California was authorized by P.L. 93-320 wherein the Secretary of the <br /> <br /> <br />Interior was directed to expedite studies to determine the most cost- <br /> <br /> <br />effective way to reduce the salinity in the Colorado River system by <br /> <br /> <br />reducing the quantity of poor quality water entering the Colorado River. <br /> <br />Irrigation return flows from the irrigation district flow into the <br /> <br /> <br />Colorado River carrying over 152,000 tons of salt from the study area. <br /> <br />An increase in salinity at Imperial Dam of about 19 milligrams per liter <br /> <br /> <br />(mg/L) results from both off-farm and onfarm sources. Soil Conservation <br /> <br /> <br />Service and Water and Power are coordinating individual efforts in the <br /> <br /> <br />total salinity reduction program. <br /> <br />Some of the irrigation facilities in the PVID were constructed before <br /> <br /> <br />1900 with little overall planning in design and seepage prevention. <br /> <br /> <br />Conveyance system seepage through the unlined canals results in a loss <br /> <br />of water and salt loading of the Colorado River. <br /> <br />A Status Report on the PVID Unit was completed in March 1980. This <br /> <br /> <br />Special Report is to inform concerned interests of the costs and <br /> <br /> <br />impacts associated with alternatives currently being considered. <br /> <br />Current alternatives being examined include improved irrigation efficiencies <br /> <br />and lining a total of about 20 miles of laterals in Palo Verde subarea <br /> <br /> <br />which would reduce the sal inity at Imperial Dam by about 7.9 mg/l. The <br /> <br />Palo Verde subarea comprises about 10 percent of the District service <br /> <br />area and is the only area where salinity control activities appear justified. <br /> <br />00289:2 <br />