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<br />r <br /> <br />000782 <br /> <br />difficult problems. As early as 1961, <br />increasing salinity levels began to threaten <br />development of the Upper Basin, were oanag- <br />ing crops in the Lower Basin, and were the <br />subject of intense negotiations with Mexico. <br /> <br />In 1974, the Congress authorized a salinity <br />control program. In a departure fron nornal <br />water resource legislation, the Congress did <br />not require the salinity control projects to <br />meet standard cost-benefit criteria. <br />(See pp. 25 and 27 to 29.) <br /> <br />This program was intended to maintain the <br />salinity at 1972 levels at least through <br />1990. However, recent studies indicate that <br />some of the projects will not reduce the <br />salinity level as Much as anticipated, and <br />there are no firm plans for controlling <br />salinity after 1990. Construction costs for <br />the major desalination plant designed to <br />meet the U.S. commitment to supply freshwater <br />to Mexico have almost tripled. GAO recommends <br />that the Congress temporarily defer funding <br />for this plant until the Bureau reevaluates <br />its feasibility as well as alternatives which <br />may provide a more economical solution. <br />(See pp. 25, 26, 30, 31, 38, and 43.) <br /> <br />ARE THERE OTHER WATER <br />PROBLEMS IN THE BASIN? <br /> <br />Certainly. In addition to water supply and <br />salinity problems, the Bureau and States have <br />not been able to agree on how much water <br />should be retained in reservoirs, criteria <br />for determining a water shortage, how the <br />reservoirs should be managed during a <br />shortage, and how water shortages should be <br />allocated among the States to meet the <br />commitnent to supply water to Mexico. GAO <br />believes that these problems can be solved <br />through cooperation among all the parties. <br />(See pp. 17 and 18.) <br /> <br />AGENCY COMMENTS AND GAO EVALUATION <br /> <br />The Department of the Interior did not object <br />to GAO's recommendation that the Congress <br />appoint a State-Federal task force to study <br />the issues and recommend the type of <br /> <br />Tear Sheet <br /> <br />iii <br />