Laserfiche WebLink
<br />U J J 3 Li 5 <br /> <br />1998 ANNUAL REPORT <br /> <br />their status. The Council appreciates the assistance each of the federal agencies provided to the <br /> <br />Forum during the preparation of the 1996 Review. The Council notes that the 1999 Review effort <br /> <br /> <br />is under way as required under the Clean Water Act and the Council looks forward to cooperation <br /> <br /> <br />with and assistance from the federal agencies. <br /> <br />The transition of the involved federal agencies' Colorado River Basin salinity control programs <br /> <br /> <br />continues with mixed results. Reclamation is implementing its new basin-wide program authorized <br /> <br /> <br />in 1995 by P.L. 104-20. The Department of Agriculture's on-farm program was incorporated into <br /> <br /> <br />the new and much larger Environmental Quality Incentives Program by the Federal Agriculture <br /> <br /> <br />Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (FAlRA) enacted by Congress. The Bureau of Land <br /> <br /> <br />Management continues to develop methods for quantifying salinity reduction benefits within its <br /> <br /> <br />existing land management programs. The Council urges the federal agencies to more closely and <br /> <br />faithfully consult and coordinate with the Forum and Work Group with regard to program changes, <br /> <br /> <br />program evaluations. and program implementation schedules. The Council also requests that as <br /> <br />organizational changes occur within the agencies, each agency identify where the responsibility for <br /> <br /> <br />salinity control lies, and that this information be made available to the Forum's Executive Director <br /> <br />at the earliest possible date. <br /> <br />The Council subscribes to the implementation plan described in the 1996 Review. The Council is <br /> <br /> <br />concerned that insufficient funding is being requested by the federal agencies and being provided <br /> <br /> <br />by the Congress for the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program. This has caused delays in <br /> <br />the implementation of salinity control reduction measures as described in the 1996 Review thereby <br /> <br /> <br />increasing the risk of exceeding the numeric criteria in the future. It is imperative that the federal <br /> <br /> <br />agencies vigorously pursue adequate funding for salinity control projects, including appropriate <br /> <br />funding for the operation and maintenance of completed projects, in the Administration's budget <br /> <br />COLORADO RIVER BASIN SALINITY CONTROL ADVISORY COUNCIL <br /> <br />3 <br />