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<br />16:1 <br /> <br />12 <br /> <br />7. Glen Canyon <br /> <br />Glen Canyon Dam shall be operated to comply with <br />applicable law and project purposes, Operational <br />changes for recreation, fishery or environment shall <br />minimally impact hydropower production. The federal <br />government shall pay for replacement power due to <br />operational change for recreation, fishery or <br />environment. <br /> <br />Resolution 97.4 <br /> <br />COLORADO RIVER SALINITY CONTROL <br /> <br />The Cnngress and Administration shall adequately fund and <br />c.ontinue to implement, in a timely and cost-effective <br />manner, the measures to control Colorado River salinity <br />authorized in the 1974 Colorado River Basin Salinity <br />Control Act as amended in order to maintain, as required by <br />federal law, the Basin-wide water quality standards adopted <br />by the seven Colorado River Basin States and approved by <br />the United States Environmental Protection Agency, <br /> <br />Position Statement <br />Colorado River Salinity Control <br />(Resolution 97-4) <br /> <br />The Colorado River provides important water supplies for <br />more than 23 million Americans in Arizona, California. <br />Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. <br />About 3.5 million acres are irrigated within the Basin and <br />hundreds of thousands of additional acres arc irrigated by <br />waters exported from the Basin. The Colorado River also <br />serves about 1.7 million people and half a million acres of <br />irrigated farm lands in the Republic of Mexico. <br /> <br />The Colorado River Basin States and Iheir water users have <br />consistently worked with the executive, legislative and <br />judicial branches of the federal government to assure a fair <br />and effective allocation of the River's water supply within <br />the terms of the law of the river. Preserving the Basin <br />States' ability to develop their apportioned water supplies <br />necessitates maintenance of the Basin-wide water quality <br /> <br />13 <br /> <br />standards for salinity. Without implementation of additional <br />salinity control measures, Colorado River salinity arc <br />expected to increase to about 790 milligrams per liter <br />(equivalent to parts per million) below Hoover Dam; to 810 <br />milligrams per liter below Parker Dam; and to 920 . <br />milligrams per liter at Imperial Dam by the year 2015. At <br />cu,:ent salinity levels. the economic damages from high <br />salImty currently experienced by municipal, industrial and <br />agricultural users of the Colorado River water in the United <br />States are estimated to be in excess of $750 million per year. <br />Should the salinity levels increase to the numeric criteria <br />levels specified in the water quality standards for salinity. <br />these damages could exceed $1 billion per year by the year <br />2015. <br /> <br />The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act provides the <br />means for the United States to meet the national water <br />quality obligation to the Republic of Mexico established in <br />1972 by Minute 242 and to maintain the Basin-wide water <br />quality standards adopted by thc seven Colorado River <br />Basin States and approved by the EP A pursuant to the <br />Federal Clean Water Act. <br /> <br />In 1974, Congress enacted the Colorado River Basin <br />Salinity Control Act (PL 93-320) to implement a 1973 <br />salinIty agreement with Mexico as well as a program for <br />controllmg Colorado River salinity levels within the United <br />~tales. P~rsuant to that Act, numeric salinity criteria for the <br />fiver ~nd ~ plan for implementing salinity control measures <br />to mamtam that criteria were developed and adopted by the <br />se"en Colorado River Slates and approved by the U.S. <br />EnvlTonmental Protection Agency (EP A). In 1984, PL 93- <br />320 was ~ended to provide additional salinity control <br />act~v~ues mcluding a new voluntary, cost-shared, on-fann <br />sahmty control program by the Department of Agriculture, <br />In 1995, Congress enacted PL 104-20 which provides <br />reclamation with progranunatic authority to initiate new <br />federal an~ non-federal salinity control program, In 1996, <br />the USDA s program was combined with three other <br />progranlS into the newly-created Environmental Quality <br />Incentlves Program within the new Federal Agriculture <br />Reform and Improvement Act (PL 104- I 27). <br />