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6 INTRODUCTION Q en -J Each of the seven Basin States proceeded with actions directed N toward establishment of standards for the Colorado River. Early in the standards- setting process, it became apparent to the states that, be- cause of legal and institutio;'lal constraints co:nbined with lack of tech- nical knowledge on salinity control and management, it would be very difficult to establish numerical salinity standards which would be work- able, equitable, and enforceable. The seven Basin States subsequently developed water quality stan- dards which did not include salinity standards anl submitted these standards to the Secretary for review a!ld approval. Following a periol of review and negotiations with the states in an attempt to establish suitable numerical salinity standards, former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall reached a decision on approval of the proposed standardso In recognition of the problems associated with establishing numerical standards, the Secretary approved the proposed standards .with the under- standing that suitable numerical criteria would be established by the states at some future date when sufficient information on which to base such criteria had been developed. The states have taken no further for- m~l action to establish numerical salinity standards. A number of the investigations reported herein have been unlertaken to improve the tech- nical knowledge of salinity control and provide part of the basis on which suitable standards could be established. Beginning in 1960 six of the seven states of the basin have met in eight conferences to discuss water quality problems. Three of these conferences have been of a technical nature dealing with specific pollu- tion sources and problems. Initially, the conferences were prim~rily concerned with pollution from radioactive sources, b'.1t from 1963 to the present the emphasis has been directed more toward salinity problems of the basin. Five of the conferences have considered this water quality problem. In the second technical conference in February 1964 the state con- ferees assigned the Colorado River Basin Water Quality Control Project of the U. S. Public Health Service in D.enver, Colorado, the following general objectives: (1) Assess the nature and magnitude of the salinity problem in the Colorado River system, (2) Evaluate feasible methods of control and salt-load reduction in the river, &~d (3) Determine net basinwide econ::Jmic benefits associated with various levels of salinity control. The Federal Water Quality Administration has concluled the studies begun by the Public Health Service to meet these objectives.