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. . Page 2 WRW washn x x x feds -. Such an agreement was entered into by the Bu/Rec and the state on June 16, J. William McDonald, director of the Colorado water Con- servation Board, told WRW on July 28. He said the binding agreement provided that Colorado must pay "one-third of the costs of construc- tion in excess of $ 75 mi llion, or $6 million, whichever is less." McDonald said after the higher ceiling bill was enacted into la~ on Oct. 20, 1988, he sought the necessary funding thru the Colorado legislature early this year, then worked out the cost-sharing agree- ment with the Bu/Rec in record time this spring, so the Bureau would not have to worry about breaching its ceiling under the 1972 law. SALINITY PROBLEMS MAINLY SOLVED, ACCORDING TO BU/REC The project has had some salinity problems, but they largely have been solved, according to Bu/Rec officials. "Closed Basin does have a number of water quality problems associated with certain wells," the Denver-based American Water Development, Inc. (AWDI) stated in a letter to former Rep. Ray Kogovsek, D-Colo" now a Denver lobbyist, in March 1988. Asked about this recently by WRW, Deputy Reclamation Commissioner Joe D. Hall said the Bu/Rec had capped a number of project wells that were saline, so their water could not get into the project conveyance system and then into the Rio Grande. Other wells replaced them to obtain higher quality water, he said. Lawrence F. Parsons, office engineer of the Closed Basin project headquartered in Alamosa, Colo" told WRW on July 27 the water in the Closed Basin project is running about 350 parts of total dissolved solids (TDS) per million parts of water. Drinking water standards are 500 TDS per million, WRW was told. "We have to meet the water quality requirements in the law. We have missed only one day since we have operated the project this year," he said, The Bu/Rec Alamosa project office started operating the first three stages of the Closed Basin project on Jan. 1 and hopes to salvage 46,000 acre-feet of groundwater thru the project this year, a little less than half of the total 100,800 acre-feet to be salvaged per year when the project is in full operation, Parsons said. Stage four of the project will be completed next year and stage five, the final stage, in mid-1993, he stated. A source thoroly familiar with the area told WRW a couple of months ago that salinity was a major continuing problem with the Closed Basin project, WRW could not find substantiation for that allegation. WRW checked with the Environmental Protection Agency here and in Denver and drew a blank. WRW checked with J. B. Gilmer, Texas Commissioner on the Interstate Stream Commission headquartered at El Paso, and with New Mexico State Engineer S, E. Reynolds in Santa Fe. Both told WRW they are extremely pleased with the quality of water their states are receiving from the project, "We'll take all of the water from the Closed Basin that Colorado sends us. It's great water. The Bureau is monitoring it every day," Reynolds told WRW on June 29, Gilmer said the Commission's computer gave water from the Closed Basin high marks. "It's better water than the Rio Grande's," Gilmer told WRW in late June. Reynolds expressed concern to WRW about the quantity that may be available thru the Closed Basin project to meet Rio Grande compact commitments. (~ '", ...... r. \, ' (' ......1 '... ......t:... l",' U of water Colorado's (more)