Selenium management plan for Gunnison basin released

After nearly two years of cooperative efforts, Reclamation has released a blueprint for selenium control in the lower Gunnison River Basin of western Colorado, on behalf of Selenium Management Program partners.  In addition to defining the selenium issues, the document describes a series of cooperative efforts to improve water quality while ensuring water security, environmental compliance, and regulatory certainty for water users in the Gunnison Basin.

When implemented, the SMP will benefit local water users and regional economies by protecting existing and future water uses through improvements to irrigation system infrastructure and on-farm irrigation practices that also reduce selenium. The program also attempts to expand efforts to control selenium from non-agricultural sources and improve scientific understanding of how selenium is released, how it moves, and where it ends up.

Carol DeAngelis, Reclamation's Western Colorado Area Manager said, "The release of the final SMP Formulation Document is an important step that will lead to the reduction of selenium in the Gunnison Basin. It gives us a road map for how program partners will work together to put into practice what we learn about selenium and reduce selenium concentrations in our rivers."

Selenium is a naturally-occurring trace element found in Mancos Shale. When water comes in contact with these soils, it can mobilize the selenium, flushing it into streams and rivers. Selenium concentrations in the lower Gunnison River, downstream in the lower Colorado River, and some of their tributaries currently exceed levels that are deemed safe for sensitive aquatic life, including endangered fish species set by the Colorado Water Quality Control Division.

For more information about the SMP visit www.usbr.gov/uc/wcao/progact/smp/, e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , call 248-0600 or visit www.seleniumtaskforce.org.

Program partners include:  BuRec, BLM, Colorado River Water Conservation District, Colorado Water Conservation Board, CSU Extension, Delta and Shavano Conservation Districts, Gunnison Basin and Grand Valley Selenium Task Forces, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association, Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey.

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