Of the 19.4 percent, about 15 percent is cultivated dryland, much of 

 it poorly drained recharge areas that occupy about 5. b percent of 

 the watershed. If the present alternate crop-fallow farming system 

 is continued at least 30 to 40 percent of the watershed will probably 

 be affected by saline seep. This coinpares to less than 0. 1 percent 

 of the watershed affected by saline conditions under the native sod 

 system. 



Progress since 1969 has been modest at best, but some 

 awareness has been achieved. In February 1971 the HACA sponsored 

 the Saline Seep-Fallow Workshop, where data was presented showing 

 saline seep to be regional in scope and a much more serious environ- 

 mental problem than previously thought. While MBMG, MSU, and 

 SCS research continued, additional research was initiated by the ARS 

 at Sidney, Montana, and Mott, North Dakota, and by the Candian 

 Department of Agriculture at Lethbridge, Alberta; the HACA made 

 extensive efforts to secure additional research funds; the 1973 Montana 

 legislature passed a joint resolution (23) asking the governor to 

 marshal all state resources and seek emergency aid from the federal 

 government to halt saline seep; the governor appointed an emergency 

 saline seep committee to develop a plan for correcting the problem; and 

 that committee, with the Environmental Quality Council (EQC), 

 requested technical assistance from the Environmental Protection 



