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COLORADO RIVER BASIN SALINITY CONTROL PROGRAM (Information relative to the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program in the Colorado River Basin has been obtained from the United States Depart- ment of the Interior, Bureaus of Reclamation and Land Management. and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service.) Title \I of the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act, Public Law 93- 320 (approved June 24, 1974). directs the Secretary of the Interior to expedite the investigation, planning and implementation of the salinity control program. The program objective is to treat salinity as a Basin-wide problem in order to maintain salinity concentrations at or below 1972 levels in the lower main stem of the river while the Basin States continue to develop their compact-apportioned waters. Specifically, the Act authorizes the construc- tion, operation and maintenance of four salinity control projects (Paradox Valley, Grand Valley, Las Vegas Wash and Crystal Geyser Units) and the expeditious completion of planning reports for 12 other projects. It also requires cost-sharing by non-Federal entities. The Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture and Administrator of the EPA are directed to cooper- ate and coordinate their activities to meet the program objectives. Public Law 98-569, signed into law on October 30, 1984, amends Public Law 93-320. This law amends the original salinity control program by authorizing construction of additional units by Reclamation and deauthorizing Crystal Geys.e.r because of poor cost effectiveness. The Secretary of Agriculture is directed to establish a major voluntary onfarm cooperative salinity control program. The authorizing legislation provides for cost-sharing and technical assistance to participants for planning and installing needed salinity reduction practices, including voluntary replacement of incidental fish and wild-life values foregone. Participants pay at least 30 percent of the costs to install salinity reduction and wildlife habitat practices. Public Law 98-569 also directs that the BLM develop a comprehensive program for minimizing salt contributions from the 48 million acres of Basin lands that it administers. Public Law 104-20 was signed into law on July 28, 1995. This law amends the Salinity Act to authorize a new approach to salinity control for Reclamation. Past authorities were unit specific. This amendment authorized Reclamation to pursue salinity control anywhere in the Basin. The amend- ment also increases Reclamation's appropriation ceiling by $75,000,000to continue its ongoing efforts to control salinity. The Basin-wide program will request proposals from the public in 1996, rank the proposals based on cost and performance risk factors and fund the most highly ranked projects. Awards are scheduled for next fall. 70