7641

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7641
• Author: U.S. Department of the Interior.
• Title: Quality of Water, Colorado River Basin.
• USFW Year: 1987.
• USFW - Doc Type: Progress Report No. 13,
• Copyright Material: NO

control program and makes recommendations to the Secretaries of the Department
of the Interior and USDA and the Administrator of the EPA on the progress of
implementation of the salinity control program.

The Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Forum was established in
1973 as a mechanism for interstate cooperation and to develop and adopt water
quality standards for salinity, including numeric criteria, on the Colorado
River.

The standards were published in 1975 and were based on the objective
of maintaining salinity concentrations at or below the 1972 levels found in
the lower main stem while allowing the Basin States to continue to develop
their compact apportioned waters. The Forum is composed of up to three
representatives appointed by the governor of each of the Basin States. The
seven Colorado River Basin States--Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New
Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming have an important role in the salinity control
effort. They are responsible for the control of the discharge of total
dissolved solids from point discharges through the NPDES permit program.
California, Colorado, Nevada, and Wyoming have authority to issue all types of
NPDES permits; New Mexico and Arizona prepare permits and forward them to EPA
for issuance; and Utah issues its minor industrial permits while EPA handles
the major industrial permits.

The States have primary responsibility for the adoption and
enforcement of water quality standards. The numeric criteria (standards)
established at Hoover, Parker, and Imperial Dams are 723 mgjL, 747 mgjL, and
879 mgjL, respectively. In addition to NPDES permits, the States have
developed water quality management plans to conform with the requirements of
Section 208 of the Clean Water Act.

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