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Show nitiniHfiiimiimiiifiriitntifitfttnmitfxx:fitrirsir?i;iiitxiK::i:ri:niifiii:iEtitiiTiEtiiiitiifii;iiii3iifii2Eitii:ita Western Resources WRAP-UP ll!lll!llllllll!lllllllll!ll!llllllll!l!!l!IIIIIIIIII!lllillillllllllllllllllllllll!lllllllll!llllllllillliH Wyoming-like the program, as they contribute most of the salt content to the Colorado River, and it helps them meet the federal water quality control con-trol standards set by the "feds," the Environmental Protection Administration. Colo. River salinity control by Helene C. Monberg Vernal Express, Washington. D.C. Correspondent Despite recent budget cuts and stretchouts, the Colorado River basin salinity control program is pretty much on schedule to reduce . the salt load in the river to 1972 levels at California's Imperial Dam before the Colorado River flows into Mexico. Mex-ico. It is an example of a specialized Western water program that is moving mov-ing ahead in the face of continuing budget problems that affect all natural resources programs. Gary A. Margheim, director of the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) land treatment program division, told Western Resources Wrap-up (WRW) on Nov. 17, "I feel good about the Colorado Col-orado River salinity control program. pro-gram. We (the U.S. Department of Agriculture-USDA) are running only a year at most behind schedule on it. We now have a line item in the budget for it. The program is necessary because of our treaty commitment to Mexico and because of the requirement require-ment by law to meet water quality standards. Our concern is whether the Bureau of Reclamation will be able to keep its program from slipping slipp-ing because we have to coordinate our on-farm program with the Bureau's," he said. USDA funding for Colorado River salinity control in fiscal year 1987 totalled $4.6 million. The money went to USDA'S Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service Ser-vice (ASCS). ASCS administers the program for USDA including its cost-sharing cost-sharing features. Of that total, ASCS turned over $2.1 million to SCS to provide pro-vide technical assistance to farmers--the largest annual sum provided to SCS to date to use for salinity control. SCS is mandated to work directly with farmers in the Upper Basin states of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico to help them carry out irrigation practices that reduce the salt content upstream in the irrigation ir-rigation water returning to the Colorado Col-orado River. The budget for this program for the current 1988 fiscal year isn't decided yet. The House Appropriations Committee Com-mittee has recommended $4 million for the USDA portion of the program, while the Senate Appropriation Committee Com-mittee has recommended $6 million. USDA budget officers told WRW on Nov. 17 that $37,646,000 has been provided pro-vided by Congress thru 1987 to USDA for its portion of the Colorado River salinity control program. Of that sum, $6,952,000 has been turned over to SCS to provide on-farm technical assistance to Colorado River Basin farmers. The rest has been used mainly for cost sharing by ASCS, with a small sum allocated to USDA's Extension Service for education. educa-tion. Thai portion of the program handled handl-ed by the Bureau f Reclamation In the Department of Interior (DOU is running between 3 3 year behind schedule. WRW was told on Nov, 17. AsMstant Reclamation Commis-Honer Commis-Honer William C. Klostcrmrycr estimated it U running "about three year behind Khcdulc because it isn't tie of our prior ity programs at the prrwnt time, It is en rjw-nMve prpp.rani, We have cut taeH on it (.!r,eUl during the trtrrttll hsjch a!f year on the CVrata lUvrr a a!ihi?y in the mtr is way down," he said, " "We have niftUhrd otit tft utrodwfl on Uv 0ealnr-jj pUfA thai e ere WA-U-i el Yuma Ar;M It mill h metal mat fr U!-tp iU ttrtair4 t'ar.l W cmj; Vcd. We bate iipj j-d r IT on Mikity f )xt si Las Vr Wa-h in Nca la rr a-4 P wmft'1 rr ho i" crrd." fcJr!rtt rrf loM W UW l!e inVfr?" to M?tfii)r ito4 jr'f a!tt lrr.Ks ' hatPto r'--irJ-,t Vp tt' -af '- in V. fhrf erl t-fay" 4 wf fst t1 ..,cf O'. r..') " I fA.r.i.-st fih.- fk M it i g'-4 -x'c'a f---'c'4 l-m I- tc i.ti ti;si Mm i :.! -cr.. t ' - -S 1. i'1 tVc:' The seven Basin states in the mid-70's established the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum, headquartered near Salt Lake City. Under the direction of Jack A. Barnett, the Forum has proved to be effective in keeping Colorado River Basin salinity problems on the front burner here and in the Basin States, many sources have told WRW. The Basin states and their farmers "put The program continues to get fund- 1 up about 51 cents out of every dollar ed annually relatively close to pro- spent on Colorado River Basin salmi- Bureau of Reclamation except the Central Arizona Project and the Central Cen-tral Utah Project. Will has worked on this program since it was authorized by Congress in 1974. jected levels for several reasons. Most of the large population centers in the West are in the Colorado River Basin States. DOI estimates about 18 million people in Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming depend on the Colorado River for all or a portion of their water; 13 million in Southern California alone, according to Will. They have political clout and know how to use it. No Administration and none of the seven Colorado River Basin states wants a repeat of the flare-up over Colorado River problems with Mexico Mex-ico that occurred in the late 1960's and early 1970's and resulted in the authorization of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Program in 1974 (P.L. 93-320). The four Upper Basin states-Colorado, states-Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and ty control," Will and Barnett said. "The cost-sharing features of the program have proved to be very popular" in Congress, Will told WRW. Of the $498 million now targeted to complete the Colorado River salinity control program, Barnett of the Forum told WRW on Nov. 18 the USDA portion represents "about 40 percent, or $200 million." SCS's on-farm on-farm work has been mainly on the big Grand Valley project in Colorado, on which it has spent $3.8 million to date. SCS has also assigned a top priority to the Uintah project in Utah, with the Big Sandy project in Wyoming and the McElma project in Colorado next on the list. "We help farmers put in sprinkler irrigation systems and carry out land levelling and other practices to cut down on the amount of salt returning to the river. We are pleased there has been a sizable amount of salinity reduction. Interior has been lining the main ( irrigation) ir-rigation) canals. We have been working with the farmers" to cut down on seepage in their irrigation ditches, Margheim told WRW. Cost of the work is shared, with USDA picking up from 50-70 percent, depending on the type of work done. Farmers and states pick the rest under cost-share agreements. Cost of removal of a ton of salt from the Colorado River is estimated to range between $40 and $150 a ton, averaging out at about $100 per ton, several sources told WRW. Some problems have developed as a result of the program, Margheim said. With Interior's lining the main canals with concrete, wetlands created due to seepage from the old canals are drying up, leading to a charge that the program is destroying destroy-ing some wetlands, though they were artificially created in the first place. And with SCS helping farmers irrigate ir-rigate more efficiently, farmers don't need as much water for irrigation. irriga-tion. Does a farmer still hold a water right to water that he isn't beneficially beneficial-ly using any longer, or does that water right revert to the state, as Nevada is now claiming? Earl Hess, a SCS water management engineer headquartered in Denver, told WRW on Nov. 17 some Colorado farmers are not interested in paying for water they don't use. "That tells me the water is going down the river," he said. Both problems are likely to be settled eventually by law suits. We dnesdoy, November 25, 1987 Yema! ExpfeSS 3 Former VJH principal goes to state office Dr. Colleen Colton of Vernal was appointed ap-pointed last week as administrative assistant of education to Gov. Norman Nor-man Bangerter. She will assume her new position Dec. 1 and is replacing Carol Clark who has taken another assignment in economic development. Before leaving the Uintah School District, Dr. Colton was the principal at Vernal Junior High for a year, was director of the Utah Principal's Academy, principal at Discovery Elementary and director of curriculum cur-riculum at the Uintah District Office. She has 20 years of experience in education. She will leave her current position at the Horizon Elementary School in Murray next Monday. As an administrative assistant, Dr. Colton will advise the Governor on education issues. She will act as a liaison between state education boards and committees. In the next three years 40,000 more students will enter the educational system. "It is unlikely that any more money will be allocated to meet the increase," Dr. Colton said. "New and creative approaches will have to be used to meet the i . . . v 4 i i - A i Dr. Colleen Colton challenge." Last weekend Dr. Colton represented the governor at an national na-tional education convention in Phoenix. "Most of the ideas presented there, Utah is already implementing," Dr. Colton said. "In most cases Utah is on the forefront of education." 5 DAYS ONLY! WEDNESDAY, NOV. 25th THROUGH TUESDAY DEC. 1st Larg Group VJBKfiTGD IL7G5 cPRef o j fr KM .. XX all J K m GIFT IT EfAS fS ff'A I I Np'3p Nutcrackers, Candles, V) Bells, Figurines, Ladies, mens, kids XTfi rro- and much more. tTii i iftfy k ?o of? PLAZA tl ' li VERNAL H' M!tW 1 SC32IGTf.lABi PADQIC Prints and cutouts Off DRESSES 20-50 orf Large group. 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