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<br />1585 <br /> <br />its studies of projects and <br />components of its Colorado River <br />Basin Salinity Control Program, The <br />Board staff continued to work <br />closely with the Bureau and <br />provided assistance and <br />consultation throughout 1973 on <br />the Bureau's studies of specific <br />projects and on economic and <br />financial aspects of salinity control. <br />During the year, major efforts <br />were concentrated on studies of <br />the three salinity control projects <br />specified in the 1973 salinity control <br />legislation, plus two additional <br />units, Las Vegas Wash and Crystal <br />Geyser, <br />The Bureau of Reclamation <br />continued other salinity control <br />efforts and studies. including an <br />expansion of irrigation scheduling <br />activities in Grand Valley and the <br />initiation of these programs in <br />cooperation with the Palo Verde <br />Irrigation District. the Colorado <br />River Indian Reservation. and the <br />Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and <br />Drainage District. Other studies <br />included irrigation methods <br />research in Grand Valley, desalting <br />using natural freezing in Wyoming, <br />and investigative work on <br />Glenwood-Dotsero Springs, <br />Extensive studies were also made <br />by the Bureau to update and refine <br />previous analyses of the economic <br />impacts of salinity by the EPA and <br />others, The Board staff also <br />reanalyzed the salinity detriments <br />to agricultural. municipal and <br />industrial users. and coordinated <br />the results of its studies with those <br />of the Bureau, Based on projected <br />use of the Colorado River and <br />projected salinity increases under <br />the assumption that no salinity <br />control measures would be <br />undertaken, the annual damages in <br />the three Lower Basin states above <br />those currently being experienced <br />were estimated to be in the order <br />of $14 million in 1980. $44 million in <br />1990, and $80 million in the year <br />2000, <br /> <br />10 <br /> <br />Colorado River Salinity <br />Standards <br /> <br />Early in 1973. the Environmental <br />Protection Agency (EPA) notified <br />California and the other Colorado <br />River Basin states that they must <br />set numerical standards for <br />Colorado River salinity that would <br />comply with the Federal Water <br />Pollution Control Act Amendments <br />of 1972 (P,L. 92-500) and with the <br />recommendations of the 1972 <br />Conference in the Matter of <br />Pollution of the Interstate Waters <br />of the Colorado River and its <br />Tributaries, <br />Subsequently. California was <br />notified of the approval of a <br />planning grant subject to <br />accomplishing several water quality <br />related activities. including the <br />development of a salinity plan for <br />the Colorado River system. <br />cooperatively with the other basin <br />states, The specific steps outlined <br />in the preceding requirement were <br />then incorporated by EPA into <br />draft regulations for the seven <br />Colorado River Basin states, which <br />would require the states to <br />cooperate with one another in <br />developing numerical criteria for <br />salinity and a plan of <br />implementation, The draft <br />regulation stated that unless the <br />states accomplished the required <br />tasks by specified dates. EPA <br />would promulgate the standards <br />and plan, <br />In November. the Chief Engineer <br />met with other water quality and <br />water resources representatives of <br />the Basin states in Denver 10 <br />confer on EPA's proposed <br />regulations and to discuss the <br />establishment of a means for <br />interstate cooperation for the <br />adoption of numerical salinity <br />criteria by October. 1975, They <br />concluded that a seven state <br />organization of state water <br />resource and water quality <br />representatives would best be able <br />to provide for interstate <br />cooperation in the standard-setting <br /> <br />process. and approved the creation <br />of the Colorado River Basin Salinity <br />Control Forum (CRBSCF), The <br />EPA subsequently agreed that the <br />Forum was a proper interstate <br />body 10 develop salinity criteria <br />and a plan of implementation, <br /> <br />Lower Colorado River <br />Management Program <br /> <br />The Federal-State Lower <br />Colorado River Management <br />Program Coordinating Committee <br />described in earlier annual reports <br />continued to meet with the Bureau <br />of Reclamation on river control and <br />environmental problems, <br />The Bureau's major planning <br />effort during the year concerned <br />the lower portion of the Parker <br />Division, There were widely <br />divergent views which prevented <br />any agreement on the program to <br />be followed for this portion of the <br />river, In an effort to get a program <br />started. the Chief Engineer. other <br />water resource officials. and fish <br />and game officials from Arizona <br />and California recommended an <br />interim development plan for this <br />portion of the river which Included <br />some bank stabilization and <br />sediment control measures, <br />However, neither the Bureau nor <br />the Colorado River Indian Tribes <br />was in favor of this proposal. and <br />the issue was sent 10 the Secretary <br />of Interior's office for resolution, <br />By the end of 1973. no decision <br />had been made concerning river <br />management work in this area, <br />