WSP08216

• File Number: 8276.130.10
• Description: Grand Valley Unit - Colorado River Basin Salinity Project
• State: CO
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 9/3/1983
• Title: Agenda Item 10b Sept. 8-9 1983 Board Meeting -- Inspection and O&M of Private Laterals Grand Valley
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Board Memo

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Delivery Systems

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The ,irrigation delivery systems for the Grand Valley consist of both
private and Federal developments. The private portion was essentially
constructed prior to 1910 and consists of the facilities of the Grand Valley
Irrigation Company, the Palisade Irrigation District, Mesa County Irrigation
District, the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District, and the Redlands Water and
Power Company. The Federal portion of the system is basically the Grand
Valley Project, constructed between 1912 and 1917 by the U.S. Reclamation
Service (now the Bureau of Reclamation), and which presently carries water to
the Palisade, Mesa County and Orchard Mesa Irrigation Districts in addition to
its own facilities. Privately owned laterals serve about 75 percent of the
valley's irrigated lands.

Private System Concerns

Because the organization on the private system is loose there are many
lateral owners not organized into groups legally capable of entering into
contracts for the operation and maintenance of improvements under the
salinity control program. To alleviate this situation, a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) was entered into in FY 1982 between the Colorado Coopera-
tive Extension Service (CCES) the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) and the
Bureau of Reclamation. Under the MOU the CCES is working on programs to
organize the private lateral owners into entities capable of entering into the
necessary agreement. Such agreements must be completed before construction
can begin. .

The laterals under the Federal system are operated by the Grand Valley
Water Users Association which is capable of entering contractual agreements,
so lateral organization will not be required.

Two agreements for private system water users will be necessary, a permit
from landowners that will allow use of land during construction and another
that will set forth conditions of operation and maintenance after construc-
tion. A major concern regarding the O&M agreement surrounds inspection after
construction. This topic has been brought to the attention of the Colorado
River Salinity Control Forum to determine if the states would become involved
in this aspect of the salinity ,pnogram. The final form for these agreement
has not yet been established. '

Stage Two Construction

Initiation of Construction on Stage Two requires the following:

1. Obtaining an operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement with the water
conveyance system owners. This requires organization of lateral
system owners into an entity capable of signing and O&M agreement.

2. Completion and filing of an Environmental Statement (ES) with EPA.
Filing is scheduled for January 1986.

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