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<br />o <br />...... <br />00 <br />-.l <br /> <br />· Recognize that natural events beyond Metropolitan's control will at times increase the salinity <br />of imported water supplies, hindering Metropo1itan's ability to continuously meet its 500 <br />milligram,per liter objective. <br />· Optimize the long-term use of State project supplies in conjunction with Colorado River water <br />in pursuing sa1inity management objectives and Metropolitan's integrated resource plan. <br />· Integrate water quality and quantity objectives in planning fucilities and resources. <br />· Support regional regulatory and management actions to minimize salinity conttibutions to <br />groundwater and recycled water resources. <br />· Make the Salinity Action Management Plan the primary strategy to cany out this policy. <br />Regularly assess the implementation and results of the Action Plan, and make revisions based <br />upon experience gained and changing conditions. <br /> <br />The Action Plan consists of four basic components: <br /> <br />· Imported water source control actions, <br />· Distribution system salinity management actions, <br />· Collaborative actions with other agencies, and <br />· Local actions to protect groundwater and recycled water supplies. <br /> <br />The foundation of Metropolitan's action plan is an imported water salinity target of 500 <br />milligrams per liter. Managing imported water salinity through blending would be supplemented <br />by source control in the two imported water river systems, storage and exchange operations along <br />the Colorado River Aqueduct, and a CALFED solution. Blending in Metropolitan's system is <br />achieved by curtailing delivery of higher-salinity Colorado River Aqueduct water and substituting <br />it with comparable amounts oflower-salinity State project water. <br /> <br />Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program Funding <br /> <br />Metropolitan is greatly concerned with the shortfall of sa1inity control reported by the Forum. By <br />1998, an additional 384,000 tons of salinity control were to have been in place to offset water <br />development. This shortfa11 in salinity control can be attnlmted to the limited federal funding , <br />which has been made available for salinity control over the past five years. <br /> <br />It is imperative that adequate federal funding be provided to meet the goals of the Colorado River <br />Basin Salinity Control Program (Program). Metropolitan supports the 1999 Review's conclusion <br />that about $17.5 million in federal funding is needed each year through the planning period for the <br />Bureau of Reclamation's portion of the Program. We agree that the U.S. Department of <br />Agriculture should increase federal funding for the Colorado River salinity control activities of the <br />Environmental Quality Incentives Program to $12 million per year and designate the Colorado <br />River Basin as a national conservation priority area. Metropo1itan also recognizes the important <br />role that the Bureau of Land Management plays in controlling salt contributions from non-point <br />sources and the necessity for adequate federal funding. <br /> <br />On June lOth, Senator Robert F. Bennett (R-UT) introduced S. 1211, the Colorado River Basin <br />Salinity Control Reauthorization Act of 1999, to increase the authorized ceiling for Reclamation's <br />Basinwide Salinity Control Program from $75 million to $175 million. The Basinwide Program, <br /> <br />23 <br /> <br />~ <br />