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w O':l e.c ,... ~ In response to this policy and related Federal and State program enforce- ment guidelines, the CRWQIP was selected as part of the implementation plan to prevent salinity concentrations in the Colorado River from exceed- ing the standards while the Basin States continue to develop their compact- apportioned water supplies. This investigation of new salinity control alternatives captures the spirit and program direction established in the 1972 Conference Proceedings with the Basin States, In the Matter of Pollution of the Interstate Water of the Colorado River and Its Tributaries * * *. "We (the states) want to emphasize that the Bureau of Reclama- tion's program as submitted in its report 'Colorado River Water Quality Improvement Program,' dated February 1972, and on which the conference recommendation No. III is based, should be considered as an open-ended and flexible program. If alternatives not yet identified prove to be more feasible, they should be included as part of the program, and if elements now included prove to be infeasible, they should be dropped. In addition, it should be recognized that there may be other programs which reduce the river's salinity." In June 1974, Congress enacted the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, Public Law 93-320, which, among other things, directed the Secretary of the Interior under Title I of the Act to implement specific measures to protect the quality of water delivered to Mexico. Under Title II, the Secretary was to expedite the completion of planning reports on 12 salinity control units in the CRWQIP and to proceed with construction of the Paradox Valley, Grand Valley, Crystal Geyser, and Las Vegas Wash Units. In October 1980, Public Law 96-375 authorized feasibility studies for 10 of the saline sources identified in earlier studies. The investigation of Saline Water Use and Disposal Opportunities is bein9 conducted under authority of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act as amended, the 1902 Reclamation Act as amended and supplemented, and specific approval by Reclamation's Assistant Commissioner for Planning and Opera- tions on May 19, 1980. Any followup feasibility study will require congressional authorization. In support of this study, the Forum has adopted an official policy encour- aging and promoting the use of saline water wherever feasible. A copy of the September 1980 policy statement is appended to the main report. Study Objective In order to meet the overall salinity control objective for the Basin, approximately 2.8 million tons of salt per year will have to be removed from the river system around the turn of the century. All irrigation improvement measures and other cost-effective controls as presently envi- sioned will remove only about 1.2 million tons per year. Hence, the annual capture and removal of an additional 1.6 million tons, using structural 2