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<br />fiGiJ3'/5 <br /> <br />/998 ANNUAL REPORT <br /> <br />The Council believes that the Forum's Work Group should actively become involved in identifying <br /> <br /> <br />how the funds provided for the special interest area can be most effectively spent. The key to <br /> <br /> <br />geographic implementation of non-point source water quality control and the President's Clean <br /> <br />Water Action Plan are hydrologic basins and watersheds. When the water quality problem is basin- <br /> <br /> <br />wide, then the local level is the full basin and in the case of the Colorado River salinity issue, local <br /> <br /> <br />representation must come from all seven states. To do otherwise violates NRCS/EQIP announced <br /> <br /> <br />principles and will undoubtedly lead to a less than fully effective program. <br /> <br />The Council finds that there is a strong need for coordination and consistency in the implementation <br />of the salinity control program, There must be assurances that common criteria are used in <br />evaluating proposals. There needs to be an assurance that cost effectiveness is calculated in a <br />consistent way, and there needs to be concurrence in how monitoring and evaluation programs are <br />implemented. There needs to be a common analysis as to how the implementation of the program <br />is consistent with the environmental impact statements and other National Environmental Policy Act <br />compliance documents that have been previously prepared for the salinity control program. <br /> <br />The Council notes that with the much welcomed increase in funding for FY 99, additional funds <br /> <br /> <br />were allocated for expenditure in Colorado and Wyoming. Funds provided to Utah appear to be <br /> <br /> <br />woefully short. The Council doubts that the allocation to Utah was based on a cost-effectiveness <br /> <br /> <br />analysis and the Council is aware that the Forum's Work Group is currently analyzing the <br /> <br />NRCS/EQIP options basin-wide by cost-effectiveness. The Council asks that NRCS identify if cost- <br /> <br /> <br />effectiveness was used as a criterion and if it was, the Council requests that the information used in <br /> <br /> <br />this evaluation be provided. <br /> <br />COLORADO RIVER BASIN SALINITY CONTROL ADVISORY COUNCIL <br /> <br />13 <br />